From Val Royeaux with Love
by Tk137
Summary: After the fall of Corypheus, the Inquisition remains to be a power in Thedas to respect and fear. With power, problems that need to be resolved arise... some of them reopening wounds from the past. ***Continued in To Live and Die in Weisshaupt***
1. Prologue

"I have to go now," Cassandra repeated, her voice wavering.

He sat on his bed hunched over, his eyes refusing to look at her. The thoughts in his head were racing, and he could almost hear his heart tearing itself apart. This had been a long time coming, and he knew that, but now that it had become a reality, it drew every breath out of his lungs.

She bowed her head, and dropped her case onto the floor, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He murmured, evading the sight of her. _Maker, I can't do this_, he thought.

He heard her footsteps draw closer to him. He almost shivered at the thought of her touch and the idea that it would be last time she would.

"Brady, please," Her hand grazed his cheek softly, making it impossible for him to not look up at her. He took her in, every aspect of her. Her honey eyes that sulked at his eye contact. Her lips, lips he believed were his forever to try to make smile or laugh. Her cheekbones that framed her face both delicately and perfectly.

"Cassandra," He let her name escape his lips. It tasted so bitter on his tongue. Never had he thought the day would come where her name would sound like a sour note that eluded his mouth.

A single tear rolled down her face, glistening in the sunlight and resting against the scar that made a home on the side of her face. She stroked his cheek with her thumb and placed one final kiss on his forehead. She turned away and grabbed her case off of the floor and proceeded to descend the staircase.

He heard his bedroom door close and he slowly raised himself from his bed and paced for a moment. Out of anger, he aggressively punched his wall in disdain. The wall left his knuckles bleeding, but the pain in his hand didn't distract him from the heaviness in his chest.

_Maker, why?_ he thought to himself, _I've given you everything. Take anything but her._

His plea was desperate and loud enough to shake the heavens, but the Maker didn't answer.

His body moved like an entity to his balcony. He saw the caravan at the entrance of Skyhold. The beautiful scenery of the mountains almost mocked him, creating such a beautiful panorama for what he felt like was a grim scene. His eyes caught the main staircase to Skyhold, and he saw Cassandra descend with such a grace to her. He knew he'd be better off looking away, not taking in the sight, but it was a beautiful disaster that he couldn't tear his eyes away from. Leliana was escorting her to the caravan, while Cullen and Josephine stood beside it, waiting for their goodbyes. Cassandra bid what he thought was a goodbye to Leliana by hugging her, then moving on to Cullen and Josephine. Cullen helped her case into the caravan to join the others, and nodded his head with respect to her. Josephine pulled her into a tight hug, after that, she allowed the seeker to climb into the caravan. He watched it depart slowly off of the bridge and onto the distance. He bowed his head and gripped the railing tightly.

In the distance, all three of his advisers looked up to his balcony, and watched their broken inquisitor emit such a sight of defeat.

"You should talk to him," Josephine spoke up, directing her comment to Cullen.

"Me?" He pointed at himself and turned his body to her, "I'm not good at these kind of things. You're the romantic, you talk to him."

Leliana's eyes lingered on the inquisitor, "Poor man. We need to do _something_."

Cullen glanced back up at the balcony, "I agree. He cannot lead the inquisition distracted."

Josephine thought for a moment then looked over at Leliana, "What did The Hero of Ferelden do when Lady Morrigan left?"

"He was... not himself... for some time. But, when he needed to go to Amaranthine, he was fully invested at the task at hand as the Warden-Commander."

Cullen scoffed, "You cannot really compare the two situations. If I'm not mistaken, they eventually _found _each other. The inquisitor does not even have the luxury of chance. They have truly lost each other forever."

"Well," Josephine sighed, "We are all going up there and checking up on him."

"I have work to-"

Leliana cut him off, "Cullen, he is our friend. I agree with Josie, we should at least see where his head is."

"Very well," Cullen began walking to the main staircase. He turned back to them for a second, "But I assure you, he will not be in the mood to talk about this."

* * *

They reached the main door to his quarters, and the feeling of nervousness rushed through them. They heard nothing on the other side of the door, but were certain that Brady was in there.

"Should we knock?" Josephine asked.

Cullen shrugged, "What if he wants be alone?"

"Just open the door, Commander." Leliana urged, her arms crossing her chest.

"Alright, alright." His hand gripped the knob and swung the door open. He allowed Josephine and Leliana to walk in front and followed them up the short staircase.

Brady sat on his couch hunched over, holding a closed book in his hand. He was thumbing the cover, completely lost in his own thoughts.

"Inquisitor," Josephine sighed with a hint of pity in her voice.

"Do you need me in the war room?" He said, sounding like a disembodied voice. His eyes stayed fixed on the book's cover.

"No, Brady," Cullen walked over and stood over him, "We- wanted to make sure you were okay."

He looked up and scoped out his three advisers who stood in his room painted with sympathetic faces. "I'll be alright."

Leliana sat next to him on the couch, and placed a supportive hand on top of his bruised knuckles, "I cannot imagine what you are going through, but you are not all alone. We all lost Cassandra today."

"I knew this was going to happen eventually. I thought I was prepared for this," He looked into Leliana's concerned eyes, "But then she leaves Varric's awful romance novel here and it makes me want to track her down and just bring her back to where she truly belongs."

"She is going to do great things for the Chantry, and for all of Thedas," Cullen remarked, "I understand that the circumstances are unfortunate, but you were right to support her. Remember, she _wanted_ to change the world, even if that meant she had to do it herself."

"Thank you for your concerns, but I'm okay," He stood up and walked over to his desk, placing the book inside one of the drawers. "I understand I need to keep a level head at my position, and I refuse to lose my focus on our goals because of personal matters. I just- need some time alone."

"Of course, Inquisitor." Leliana nodded her head, and began to head down the stairs.

"If you need anything, Brady, you know where to find us. All of us." Josephine added.

"Thank you Ambassador," He shot her a weak grin.

When they left, he collapsed into his desk chair and took a deep breath, and blew out the air like it was dispelling every single thought in his head.

* * *

That night he buried himself into the paperwork, answering requisitions and replying to letters personally. The candle that sat politely on his desk was the only light in his room. He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose to suppress the headache he felt coming on.

A knock on his door occupied his attention. He spoke up flatly, "I'm busy."

"It's me." The voice called out from behind the door. Brady recognized the voice to be Varric. He would've welcomed him into his quarters on any occasion, as Varric was a close friend and formidable ally. But tonight, he didn't feel like engaging in conversation with anyone, not even Varric.

"Varric," Brady replied, "I really can't tonight."

"Boss, if anybody needs a drink, it's you. Come on, let's go to the tavern. Get your mind off of things with something strong."

Brady stood up, defeated, and greeted Varric at the door, "As long as your buying."

"Alright, now that depends on how many mugs it takes for you to forget," Varric chuckled.

Brady cracked a fake smile, and allowed Varric to lead the way.

* * *

"Two mugs of your strongest mead," Varric ordered the bartender.

He nodded and fetched them two drinks quickly.

Brady picked up his mug and drank it to the bottom like water, "Another, please."

Varric watched him in astonishment take each mug served to him to the face while Varric still held his first mug.

Brady belched, "Come on, Varric. Catch up!"

Varric laughed at the inquisitor, "I'm not going to be able to catch up with you at this rate."

Loud footsteps echoed behind them and Brady turned around to greet them, "Bull, take a seat. First one to the floor has to pay for tomorrow night's drinks."

"I'll take you up on that," He gestured for the bartender to serve him a drink. "I see drowning our sorrows is the way to go, right, boss?"

Brady finished another mug, "I'm fine, Bull. Really. Don't make me sound like Blackwall."

"Did someone say my name?" Blackwall called out, entering the tavern with Sera.

"Someone pour me a drink, yeah?" Sera demanded, and the bartender nodded his head, calling over one of his serving wenches over to help him accommodate everybody in the tavern.

They joined the rest of Brady's company and one after another finished countless mugs of ale.

Brady stood up and stumbled a bit, but then proceeded to speak, "I feel like dancing, anyone feel like dancing?"

"Dancing. Ooohh, that sounds fun! Hit it, minstrel lady!" Sera shot up from her seat and joined the inquisitor in dancing around the tavern while the minstrel played a catchy melody.

"You're quite good at this!" She yelled over the music.

"Only with a couple drinks in me," He smiled.

"A couple?" Bull interjected, "You're hogging all of the ale!"

"Seriously, Boss, you alone are bleeding this place dry," Varric quipped.

He laughed at them, and continued to dance, roping in agents of the inquisition and serving girls alike to join in the fun.

Varric mumbled under his breath, "This might've been a bad idea."

Blackwall overheard Varric, "Oh, come on, look at him. He's having a good time. He needed this considering the Chantry has his girlfriend."

They both looked at their inquisitor, their eyes widening at all of the women that were dancing with him, and Sera, alike. Sera was dancing close to one of Bull's Chargers while a serving girl had her hands on the inquisitor, finding every excuse possible to touch him. Brady noticed, and didn't object, but was having too much fun with the rest of the dancing tavern to pay her too much mind.

The door swung open and let in a cold wind. The Inquisition's advisers stood in the threshold, their eyes widening at the sight they were seeing.

Cullen cleared his throat, "Um, Inquisitor." His voice was lost to the loud music and cheery people.

"This is... different," Josephine commented.

Leliana smiled at the sight, but then dropped her face to look more serious, "So much for some 'time alone'... I'll fetch him."

She maneuvered through the crowd skillfully until she reached the inquisitor. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and he spun around to see who had touched him.

"Leliana!" He beamed, showcasing a bright smile that brought out his dimples.

"Inquisitor, there are important matters we need to discuss-"

He took a hold of her gloved hand and spun her around, "C'mon Spymaster," He said with a grin, "You officially have a night off. Dance with me."

She couldn't help but smile at the notion, but she looked over at her other advisers, who were showing disapproval. She began to pull her hand away from him.

Brady noticed, and acted, "Hey ladies, Commander Cullen and our ambassador love to dance. Why don't you bring them out to the dance floor?"

The flock of women who were once crowded around the inquisitor rushed over to Cullen and Josephine, dragging them away from the door to join in on the fun.

Cullen instead evaded the dancing and joined the rest of the men at the bar while Josephine flung her clipboard onto a table, let down her hair, and began dancing to the music that flooded the tavern.

Noticing his idea worked, he redirected his attention back at Leliana, "It's not a real party until somebody's small clothes are pinned to a chantry board, right?"

She laughed at him, "We'll see about that, Inquisitor."

"Now," He held out his hand to her, "what about that dance?"

Her eyes connected with his reached out hand, the grin on his face surprisingly warm and welcoming. She looked back at him, his eyes a little hazy from the alcohol, but sparkling in the tavern lighting, "I have matters to attend to."

He sneered playfully at her, until his attention was stolen by a tavern patron that tugged on his arm and pleaded for a dance. When he entertained the patron's request, he managed to steal a glance back over to where Leliana was standing no longer.

* * *

Brady woke up with a throbbing in his head. The sun mocked him and made him feel sick with its piercing light through his stained windows. His body had given up on him and he couldn't manage to sit up. His fingers squeezed the sides of his temples while his eyes welded shut. After succumbing to his headache, he reached a hand out to the other side of his bed, but felt nothing. A spot that once held his very heart was vacated and mocked him, as it was left still neatly made.

He exhaled painfully and groaned. He recalled what he remembered last night and recalled it as a good time, but all of the alcohol in the world wouldn't allow him to forget the fact that Cassandra was gone.

A raven perched itself on his balcony. Knowing that was Leliana's subtle way to tell him it was time to begin the day, he used all of his strength to lift himself off the bed and throw on some clothes. He walked out to the balcony while buttoning his jacket up. The Inquisition was well into the day, with the daily soldier training in the courtyard already over.

_Its well past noon, _He thought, _They're going to kill me._

He rushed down to the main hall and then down to the hallway into the war room. When he walked in, all but one of his advisers were sluggish. Cullen looking away from the light and Josephine rubbing her temples.

Leliana chuckled at them, "At least you all had fun."

Cullen groaned, "This is why I rarely drink."

"Please, keep your voices down." Josephine pleaded.

"Let's get through this meeting so we can all recover, alright?" Brady spoke up, and began discussions on war table missions.

When all the advisers said their piece and were assigned to certain tasks to command, the meeting was adjourned.

They all started to hear out of the room, until Brady spoke up, "Leliana, a moment?"

Cullen and Josephine looked behind them with a sense of confusion, but then continued out of the room.

"Of course, Inquisitor." She walked a little more into the room to hear what he had to say.

"May I ask you a question?" He said politely, leaning on the table and crossing his arms.

"Of course. What is it?" She inquired.

"How do you do it?" She looked bewildered until he elaborated, "keep everything so in check... Your emotions, mostly."

"Practice. When I was a bard, I had to wear a mask to hide who I was. I became a different person when I needed to be, blocking out who I truly was and felt," she looked down at her shoes, but then back at him with a sense of gratitude, "But you stopped me from becoming something I was not."

"So you're saying becoming someone other than yourself is dangerous..."

"We all have our masks, Inquisitor. The one we wear in public, the one we wear with our friends. Our only true face is when we are alone sometimes."

"There's wisdom in that," He acknowledged, "Thank you."

"Just remember," she placed a hand on his shoulder, "You are a good person, and a wonderful leader. Do not think that you need to change. I have learned it is best to stay true to yourself."

"Your help is appreciated, spymaster." He bowed his head.

She retracted his hand and smiled warmly, "Anytime, inquisitor."


	2. Chapter One: The Letter

Brady sparred with Blackwall in the courtyard, attracting attention to onlookers who couldn't help but watch them combat and dodge each other in circles.

"I believe your age is catching up with you, friend." Brady snarked. He slashed his weapon at Blackwall, who blocked it with his wooden shield, creating a loud bang that echoed through the mountainous area.

"Trying to get in my head? That isn't going to work inquisitor, you should know better." Blackwall jabbed at Brady, but he simply slapped his sword away.

They continuously toyed with each other, both knowing the other's tricks by heart from all the countless battles they fought side by side in.

A commotion erupt in the crowd when the ambassador tried gracefully making her way to the two in the middle of the courtyard.

She apologized to each patron she pushed out of the way and called out to Brady, "Inquisitor!"

His head pivoted to the sound, and black wall landed a hit to his chest. Brady looked back over at Blackwall, who was smiling at the advantage he took, "That was cheap."

"Inquisitor please, this is urgent." Josephine pleaded with him.

Blackwall withdrew, "It sounds important. Josephine." He walked away while the onlookers groaned and disapproved of the sudden ending of their entertainment.

"What is it, ambassador?" Brady wiped the sweat off his brow with his shirt, his blue eyes glistening in contrast to his red face.

"We have a received a letter from the Grand Cathedral," she looked around them and continued, "the rest we can discuss more privately."

His heart sped up and his mouth became dry. Quickly, he gathered himself and managed to laugh, "Well, Her Holiness sure took her time contacting us after her coronation."

"Better late than never." Josephine quipped.

"A year late," He added. She turned and began towards the war room, and he followed behind of her.

When they reached the main hall, he grew curious. "Why so discreet?" His voice almost a whisper.

She turned quickly and shushed him, making him cock his eyebrows up in surprise. He rushed ahead of her and opened the door for her, and shut it after they both entered.

"Josephine..." he said when he knew they were alone.

"Come on, Cullen and Leliana are waiting for us."

He huffed and continued to follow her, her erratic behavior being completely out of character.

She pulled the war room's doors open and allowed for him to walk through with her.

"Inquisitor, we have received-"

"Thank you Cullen, but I was already informed of that much."

Leliana held the letter in her hand, "What Divine Victoria wrote was very... vague."

"May I?" Brady held out hand, and Leliana gently passed him the letter.

It read:

_Inquisitor Trevelyan,_

_Something of your urgent attention is needed in Val Royeaux._

_Bring yourself and Sister Nightingale to the Grand Cathedral_

_where I will inform you of more information._

_My thanks,_

_Divine Victoria_

Brady looked up at Leliana, "This is in her hand, I know that much. But why the secrecy? And why us?"

"No idea. Were taking necessary precautions by keeping this unknown to anybody but us, in case of a traitor or other spies in our midst." She answered.

"What if something has gone awfully wrong in Val Royeaux and this is a trap? I don't like this," Cullen rested a hand on the hilt of his sword, "We should send inquisition forces with you just in case."

"Trust me, Commander, if something had happened in Val Royeaux, we would know about it." Josephine argued.

"I agree with Cullen, to an extent. We'll have forces follow us, but from a distance. It's best to treat this as a delicate matter. Josephine, contact some nobles outside of the capital city and come up with something clever so we can have soldiers there without suspicion."

"Alright, my lord," She nodded and began scribbling on her her pad.

"You and I will leave for the city as soon as possible," She informed him.

He scratched the scruff that was growing on his cheek, "I suppose I don't have time to shave?"

"The caravan for you two should be ready within the hour," Cullen informed him.

"Then we all have our duties," Brady looked over to Cullen, "Your forces will follow our path in the morning. Leliana and I will scout ahead for your troops also, and deal with threats if some should arise."

They all nodded in confirmation and he headed out of the war room and up to his quarters to fill his pack with his necessities. He threw a few health poultices into the pack, along with a flask of liquor. He shuffled through his drawers to grab a couple of articles of clothing: Shirts, socks, a few pairs of trousers and underclothes. His armor laid rest on to of the bed, and he sighed at the thought of putting it on. Instead, he slipped on a light, white shirt over his torso and tucked his lucky andrastian charm necklace into the shirt, allowing only part of the gold chain to actually show around his neck. After throwing a jacket over his shoulders and pulling a pair of trousers on, he walked over to his desk to grab some parchment and ink to throw into his pack.

He opened the first drawer, but found nothing he was looking for. With a slight sigh, he proceeded to open the second and third drawer of his desk. The second drawer contained the parchment and ink, but the third drawer is where he found something of interest he had almost completely forgotten. A dusty book sat comfortably on the drawer, and he allowed a soft chuckle to escape his lips. He picked it up and slid his hand over the cover, wiping away any dust on top of it. His mind flooded with memories for but a moment, until he snapped out of it.

_What an awful book_, he commented in his mind, and then promptly tossed it into his waste basket.

* * *

Brady sat in his room until the caravan showed itself in the courtyard. He stood on his balcony and watched Leliana place her own pack onto the caravan, her bow attached to her back securely. He turned to walk into the room and grabbed his blade from underneath his bed and secured it in his belt, and proceeded to join the caravan.

He sat down onto the wooden seat and through his head back, exhaling deeply. Leliana was leaning forward, her fingers intertwined in front of her and her mind wandering.

"Inquisitor," a deep voice called out.

"Coachman," the inquisitor looked at the front of the caravan, where a dwarven man in inquisition armor held the wrings.

"Are you ready to leave, ser?" He asked politely.

"Leliana?" He inquired.

She looked up at him, "I am ready."

"Very well, off we go." The coachman declared, and the caravan began to move.

They were all silent for a while as they proceeded to exit Skyhold and join the rubble of the roads that had been made.

"So," He smiled at Leliana, who was now leaning back with her legs crossed and her arms weaved over her chest, "I don't suppose you have any tales to pass the time?"

She looked at him with a slight grin, "I don't suppose you do, either."

"Well, my stories tend to be inappropriate in polite company," He admitted.

"I'm flattered you consider me polite company." She mused.

"Well, of course my lady." He flashed her a noble grin.

"I'd like to hear one of your tales rather than retell one of mine." She propositioned, her lips holding back a returning smile.

"Ask and you shall receive," He crossed his arms across his chest, "But don't say I didn't warn you."

She leaned forward slightly with intrigue of what sort of tale he could spin, or if he would share a genuine experience.

"Now," He spoke up, "What genre would you like. Romance? Horror? _Suspense?_" the last word carried the tone of a joke.

"Hmm," she looked up in thought, "I'd love to hear what you know of romance, Inquisitor." She mocked him.

"I always pegged you as a romantic, Spymaster," She said with a hint of sarcasm. "Alright. How about how awful my first kiss went when I was a kid?"

She laughed at him, "A personal experience? I assumed you would make something up."

"I'm not Varric, I can't spin a tale from the seam of my trousers. Well, do you want to hear it?" He chuckled.

"Very well... but spare me any crude details."

"It's nothing like that, I promise." He cleared his throat and proceeded, "My family was known to throw lavish balls in Ostwick, particularly my aunt. I remember hating every second of attending, but I had a huge crush on this girl who always attended them. During one of these balls, I found myself alone with her in a broom closet as we were playing hide and seek with the other children there. The broom closed was pitch black and we were trying our best not to make a sound. And I remember her touching my jacket collar and pulling it to her to kiss me. But I couldn't really see, and the force of her pull made my nose smash into hers, causing blood to begin to pour from my nose. She began to scream, and needless to say that we were found by the other players quickly after that."

She placed her hand over her mouth to silence the outlandish laughing that tried to escape her mouth. When she collected herself, she asked a question of him, "What became of your friend?"

"I believe she became a templar. Hopefully she didn't get roped into that Corypheus mess..." His voice trailed off and he lost himself in the thought for a moment.

"What was life in Ostwick like?" She asked of him, snapping him out of his own mind.

"Laid back. Relaxed, mostly. My brothers and sisters were more in charge of responsibility then I was, considering I am the youngest. My actions were never scrutinized by my family, either. Since there was a very small chance I would become head of the house, I did what I wanted. My mother wanted me to join the templars when I came home from the Conclave. Things changed, obviously."

"Life does that." She remarked.

He nodded, "It could of been worse. I could of been struck down after I fell out of the fade."

"I'll admit, Cassandra was tempted to behead you," She looked at him dearly, "but it all worked out as the Maker wanted it to be. Your survival ended up being the key to saving the entire world."

"We've set up something great, Leliana." He looked in the direction of Skyhold, it's stature becoming a fade in the distance.

She followed his gaze, "Agreed."

The conversation faltered for a few moments. Brady pulled some paperwork out of his pack to help pass the time.

"It never ends." Leliana said, watching him look over his reports.

"Not entirely, no." He joked, sorting out the papers in piles next to him.

"May I ask you a question?"

He looked up from the paper he was holding and into her eyes. She sat there expressionless, but didn't look away from his gaze.

"Of course." He set aside the papers and gave her his full attention.

"Do you think it'll be strange?" she asked. He cocked an eyebrow up in confusion, but she began to elaborate, "Seeing Cassandra again?"

His arm reached behind and rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't know, honestly. It's been awhile."

"I see." She commented.

"Whatever she needs, it seems important... too important to worry about my own personal 'awkwardness' towards her and our relationship." He seemed satisfied in his words, and he may have actually believed himself.

"Do not worry," Her face lit up in a smirk, "I'll make sure you don't compromise us."

He returned her smile, his light blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight and surprising her subtly. Her cheeks blushed and she was set back by her random giddy reaction to him. Suddenly, she gathered herself and her face dropped as he turned back to his paperwork.

She adopted his idea of getting some work done and they both lost themselves in their work for a few hours. The sun above them was casually falling into the horizon, and dusk was upon them soon.

"Inquisitor," The coachmen called out, breaking Brady's concentration on reading the report in his hand, "Don't look now, but I believe there are bandits on this road and I am almost positive they are ready to attack us."

"Maker," Leliana sighed, "should you take care of them or should I?"

He chuckled, "Both of us will. C'mon."

The coachman stopped the caravan and allowed the inquisitor to hop out. He held out his hand to help Leliana down, and they scurried to cover so they wouldn't be seen by the approaching bandits.

"Alright," Brady whispered, he and Leliana crouching behind a large rock, "I'll take point while you attack from a distance."

She scoffed, "How about this?" She stood up and attracted the attention of the bandits.

"Hey!" one of them called out in an Orleasian accent, "Who do you think-"

He was silenced by an arrow between his eyes. The rest of the bandits looked at the now dead body, and began to charge at them.

"Secrecy is supposed to be your specialty, Leliana..." Brady remarked and pulled his sword out.

She pulled the string of her bow back, "I'm good at a lot of things, Inquisitor." She released and buried another arrow into someone's head.

The Inquisitor skillfully waited until they were close enough and swung his sword at a bandits neck, almost cleanly taking off his head. Leliana provided cover for him, taking down any of them who got too close for him to defend.

After driving his blade into another's stomach, he turned to Leliana and noticed a roguish bandit sneak up behind her, "Behind you!" He yelled, then rushed over to her.

She stayed calm, and simply threw her elbow back, nailing the bandit in his nose and knocking him backwards. She drew her bow back and prepared her arrow to take him out.

Brady sprinted over, "Wait!" He urged.

She looked up at him, her bow still aimed at her attacker, "Why?"

He gave her a short look and picked up the bandit off of his back and threw him against the rock, "Now, ser, do you value your life?"

The bandit sniffled, blood from his broken nose cover his face and stained his shirt, "Y-Yes."

"Then you're going to do two things for me: One, you and your friends are to stay off of these roads or face drastic consequences courtesy of the Inquisition. And the second..." Brady looked over at Leliana, who was watching him intently. He pulled on the attackers collar and held him in front of Leliana, who stood with her bow still in her hand, but pointed at the ground, "You are going to apologize to my friend here. Have you no manners, ser? You should never sneak up behind a lady... that is common etiquette."

"I-" The bandit looked up at the inquisitor, "I'm sorry-"

The inquisitor shook him, "Don't say it to me."

The bandit looked at Leliana, who was trying to hold back a grin, "I'm sorry, my lady."

"Tell your friends that the Inquisition protects these roads, and they should keep off of them." She addressed sternly.

"Yes, m'lady. Of course, m'lady." He stuttered.

The inquisitor smiled at the bandits flustered state, and shoved him aside. "You run along now."

The bandit sprinted away and out of view.

"You didn't have to do that, we could have simply killed him." She shoved his shoulder playfully.

"Oh well," He shrugged. "Come on, let's get some more distance covered before the moon comes up."

He walked towards the caravan, "Coachman?" He placed his sword back in it's holster.

She watched him walk away, but then followed behind, securing her bow back on her back.

"Yes, Inquisitor?" the coachman called out, poking his head from the caravan's cover.

"Let's move on." He said, climbing back onto the caravan.

"Of course, Inquisitor." The coachman nodded, and climbed back onto his seat.

Leliana jumped onto the caravan and sat next to Brady. With the inquisitor's nod, they began to move again.

She looked over at him, her face still red from the skirmish. The redness in her face brought out the blue and greens in her eyes, and light reflected off of them gracefully. "Do you think they'll actually stay off the roads?"

"For a day or two. If not, Cullen's forces will be rid of them when they come through."

She yawned silently, her gloved hand covering the action. Her eyes drooped slightly.

He took notice, "If you're tired, we could set up our tents."

"No," She protested, "We need to keep moving."

He cocked an eyebrow as she settled next to him, her body relaxing and her head slowly bobbing in exhaustion. He pulled off his jacket and covered her as her eyes drifted closed. It only took her a moment to succumb to sleep.

He gently pulled out a book from his pack and began to read as she softly snored at his side, her face showing a peace only slumber could bring.

He reattached his eyes from her and back onto his book. He silently turned the pages, desperately trying to not disturb her.

The caravan hit a bump, and her head found it's way onto his shoulder. She sleepily nuzzled into him, pieces of her fiery red hair tickling the bare portion of his arm. He tensed up, but only for a second, then returned to his book. Each time he looked up, the sky became a shade darker. Whether he liked it or not, they were going to have to make camp eventually.

* * *

Brady was awoken by the coachman's booming voice as he was peeked into the caravan.

"It's too dark to continue, Inquisitor." He informed him, and then began pulling materials for camp off of the wagon.

Brady rubbed his eye with his free hand, quickly noticing his other arm was obstructed by Leliana's tight grip around it.

"Hey," He whispered softly. She didn't budge. He used his free arm to tap gently on her shoulder, "Leliana."

Her eyes fluttered open, while her face showed a sense of disorientation. She noticed she was gripping the Inquisitor's arm tightly, and pulled away from him quickly. "I'm sorry, Inquisitor. I did not mean to-"

"It's fine, I dozed off a bit, too." He admitted.

"Are we making camp?" She spoke through her yawn.

"Come on," He got up and hopped down from the caravan, "Let's get a fire going out here or something."

Brady and Leliana joined the coachman at the camp site, one tent already set up and sticks in place for a fire.

"You're good at this." Brady complimented. He gave him a helping hand with the next tent while Leliana tried starting a flame.

"Thank you, Inquisitor." He replied.

"I haven't caught your name, coachman. What is it?" He asked politely.

"You can call me Oz, since you surfacers have a hard time with dwarven names, apparently." He answered with experience. They swiftly put up the tent almost exactly when Leliana had started a roaring fire in the middle of the camp.

Brady looked around for more supplies for another tent, but to no avail. "Only two tents?" He asked, with a wrinkle showing up between his brows.

"This is all the ambassador gave me, besides a cache of food." He replied, pointing over to the crates of fruit that sat near the vacated caravan.

"It's fine. Leliana and you can have the tents. I'll stay watch tonight." Brady decided.

Leliana overheard him, "Inquisitor, you need rest. Allow me."

"I insist." He replied sternly.

"Surely you aren't going to let your stubbornness get in the way of your better judgement..." She half scolded him, her brows furrowing at his insistence.

"Then you must not know me as well as you think," His voice filled with command, "You and Oz get some rest after you're finished eating tonight. I'll tend the fire and keep watch. That's an order."

She sighed in protest, but accepted defeat. He walked over to the cache and carried it over to the fire. Oz took a seat adjacent to Leliana, and Brady placed himself between the two.

Oz sighed, "I wish we had some nug meat."

"Perish the thought," Leliana scolded, her face scrunching up in disgust at the idea of Schmooples becoming somebody's dinner.

Brady chuckled slightly, and tossed an apple to both of them. He took a bite of his and began to speak, "How much farther to Val Royeaux?"

"Give or take an hour or two." He replied. Brady raised his brows in surprise of how far they had gotten in a day.

A cool breeze rolled past them while the moon was the only light around them besides the fire. They finished eating in silence, hearing the sounds of the fire cracking and the wildlife whispering behind them.

"Alright," Oz stood up and looked at both of them, "I'm getting some shut eye. We will begin on the road again just before sunrise."

Brady nodded, and Leliana bid him goodnight.

The inquisitor rubbed his hands near the fire, trying to receive some sort of relief from the cold night air. He turned away and reached into his pack for his flask, and threw back some of the liquid it contained down his throat. It sent a beacon of warmth down his body and he sighed in content.

He looked over at Leliana, "Would you like some?" He offered politely.

The lights from the flame danced on the fiery features of her face. "No, thank you." She replied.

He shrugged, and took another gulp from the flask. He looked up the darkened sky, the stars covering every inch of it.

"You know," He said softly, "each one of these constellations has an elaborate story to them."

She joined him in looking at the night sky, "I know. I read your report on the astrariums. It was remarkable. All of the tales the sky contains..."

He pulled his eyes away from the stars and looked over at her. Her eyes were still fixed on the sky, and he had managed to steal a glimpse. A grin pulled at the corner of his mouth at the fascination that covered her face as she continued to stare above. He couldn't help but enjoy seeing this human side of her. He was so used to her calculating persona, and he sometimes forgotten she had an engaging and spirited personality behind the cloak that tended to hang over her and hide these wonderful aspects she possessed in the shadows.

She began to turn her head to him, and he quickly redirected his eyes back at the sky. "I told the Hero of Ferelden a tale about literal star crossed lovers once... their love forever illuminating the sky. It was one of his favorites."

"Ironic considering..." Brady hinted at the Hero of Ferelden's choice of love interest.

She picked up on his reference and laughed gently, "Maybe that is why he liked it so much."

Another breeze caressed him, and she inadvertently yawned at it's arrival.

Brady laid back and turned on his side. "Get some rest." He urged.

She looked over at him and connected her eyes with is, "I'm alright to stay up."

He shot her a smirk that showcased one of the dimples on his cheek, "And you call me stubborn... Please, it's no good if both of us are tired tomorrow. At least one of us has to look presentable to the divine." He took another sip from his flask to spite his words.

She sighed and picked herself off of the ground, carrying herself to the vacant tent. "Goodnight, Inquisitor."

"Goodnight, Spymaster."


	3. Chapter Two: The Divine

"There it is," Oz pointed to the distance, "Val Royeaux."

Brady peeked his head out of the caravan and took in the beautiful sight. Val Royeaux, despite the cutthroat politicking, was gorgeous in every way. The streets breathed life and the atmosphere of it was intoxicating. He had enjoyed visiting the spectacle of a city, and he wished he had arrived on better circumstances.

Leliana, too, enjoyed the view. She always thought of Val Royeaux as a home. The city continued to be her number one supplier of clothes and shoes while she had been away from it, and held it close to her heart.

"The Grand Cathedral is right up ahead, Inquisitor." Oz pointed out.

"We'll take it from here," Brady grabbed his pack and jumped out of the caravan, "Take care."

Leliana repeated Brady's actions and mused to the coachman, "It's been a pleasure."

"Thank you, m'lady..." He nodded his head at her, "Inquisitor." The caravan began to move away.

Brady slug his pack onto his shoulder and walked toward the towering castle in front of them. The morning sun was warm, casting a bright light upon anybody who stood in the courtyard.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say I was curious as to what she wanted." Leliana said loud enough for only Brady to hear.

He opened the door for her and replied, "That makes two of us."

The inside of the Cathedral was everything Brady had expected it to be. It was full of colors of gold, red, and white; the walls were practically bleeding righteousness.

An elderly woman came up to the two of them after they had walked in, "We were expecting you, inquisitor. Please, allow us to take your packs to your rooms."

"Rooms?" He asked and looked over at Leliana. She shrugged, sharing his confusion.

"Yes, inquisitor. The Divine wanted you comfortable for the duration of your stay."

"Where is she?" He asked bluntly.

"In the chamber, ser." The woman replied.

"I'll see my way there, then. Thank you." He bowed his head and pressed ahead.

"Follow me, I know where the chamber is." Leliana ordered. He submitted and followed behind her through all of the Grand Clerics and Lay Sisters alike. Finally, they stood upon a great wooden door that two two stories tall.

"I'm guessing this is it." He quipped, wrapping a hand around the door handle.

She nodded. Before he pulled his arm back to open the door, she stopped him, placing a gloved hand on his chest, "Are you ready for this?"

He laughed at her and shot her a reassuring grin, "As I'll ever be, Leliana."

She returned a smile at his notion, and he opened the door swiftly.

Cassandra sat there elegantly on her Sunburst throne, pleasantly and beautifully colored in colors of red, gold, and white. To him, she didn't look as if she were really her underneath the regal clothing the Divine is obligated to wear.

"Inquisitor," Cassandra spoke, her voice echoing around the chamber, "and Leliana. I'm glad you came in such short notice."

"Your Holiness," The inquisitor bowed, limiting direct eye contact for the time being. His heart raced slightly. He knew he had to collect himself and stay professional, but something about seeing her face again made him want to unravel onto the floor.

"You have the full attention of the Inquisition, Most Holy," Leliana bowed also, and secretly shot a look at Brady, making sure he could handle all of this. He noticed her eyes on him and relaxed underneath her gaze almost automatically.

"Your letter was lacking detail, your holiness, I'm hoping you can elaborate on the message." Brady said in a authoritative tone.

"Of course, Inquisitor," She answered, "But the matter must be private," She stood up from her throne, "Come. Follow me."

They heeded her demand and followed her out of her chamber and into a brightly lit hallway. Cassandra pulled out a key and unlocked one of the hallway doors. She allowed them to come in and then took a seat at her desk. The room was cluttered with papers and books, but it was elegantly lit with candles that danced on the stony masonry that surrounded them.

"Now that we are alone," Cassandra leaned forward on the desk, resting both elbows down and staring at them intently, "I believe..."

"Please, don't leave us in suspense." Brady scoffed sarcastically.

Leliana nudged him with her hip. A smirk pulled at his lips at her reaction to him.

Cassandra made a disgusted noise, "I see something's don't change."

Leliana spoke up, "Cassandra, what is wrong?"

She exhaled, "I believe someone is trying to have me killed." She laid back in her chair and elaborated, "There have been... rumors of corruption in the Chantry and someone, or many, want me dead. My guards had caught a man sneaking around in the garden the other night. He had been carrying a dagger hidden in his jacket. But, the odd thing that his skin showed traces of a red lyrium infection. When I sent my Knight-Captain to interrogate him, he had vanished from his cell."

Brady and Leliana listened, keeping silent while the Divine shared her concern. Brady spoke up, "Red lyrium hasn't been seen around the city."

Leliana added to his thought, "So maybe he isn't from the city? An outside faction?"

He turned to her, his eyes lighting up with satisfaction in her suggestion, "Good point. What if they had infiltrated in the city in secret?"

Cassandra's head snapped back and forth between their discussion.

"It would be hard for red lyrium infected individuals to go around Val Royeaux to walk around without being noticed."

"Somebody must have seen something odd. What do you think?"

Leliana thought for a second, "I know where we need to go to find out more. Come." She pulled on his arm.

They began to walk out of the office with haste, Cassandra stopped them, "Wait. What should I do?"

"Be the divine," Brady said with an unintentionally cool tone, "You're good at that."

Her face twitched slightly.

Leliana spoke softly, "Do you trust your guards?"

"With my life." Cassandra answered.

"Then you might want to keep more of them around you, your holiness... considering somebody wants you dead. We'll be back with any information we find." He headed out the door and Leliana followed behind after bidding the Divine farewell.

When he heard her footsteps become closer to him in the hallway, he turned his head. "Where are we going?" He asked of her.

"My friend Zevran taught me where all the information ends up in any city in Thedas when we were younger, and I found truth in his advice."

"You still haven't told me where we are going..." He pointed out.

"Inquisitor, we're going to the local brothel, of course." She smiled at him, and walked ahead.

He raised an eyebrow, "Wait... A brothel?"

She turned her body to him, "Are you going to come or are you just going to stand there?"

He huffed, and followed her down the hallway.

* * *

"You're absolutely joking, right?" He stopped dead in his tracks and read the sign above the door, "_The Dragonsbone..._ A suggestive name even for a brothel."

She sighed, "I should've came alone if you're going to be such a prude about this." She walked towards the door.

"I'm not a prude..." He mumbled, and followed her into the building.

Inside the place was lively, people sitting down at the bar drinking and minstrels playing wild music while others danced to the melody. Leliana sat at the bar and motioned for Brady to join her. He took in the sight for another moment, then followed her whim.

He sat onto a bar stool, "So, what's the plan?"

Leliana directed her eyes to a older woman who was dressed lavishly, "See her?"

He nodded, "Am I pulling her in for questioning? I can do that." He began to get up, but Leliana pressed her hand down on his shoulder, forcing him to sit down again.

"Calm down, Inquisitor." She thought of what she needed to say for a moment, then a smile pulled at the side of her mouth, "You're going to ask her if you can use one of her services tonight."

His eyes widened, "You're not joking... You're completely serious, aren't you?"

"If you can't handle it, I will gladly do it." She said in a matter-of-fact way.

He quickly disapproved and got up from the bar stool, "No, no. I can handle it."

"Very well, Inquisitor. Hire a woman, or man, for the night and coerce information out of them. These people hear _everything_." She smiled, and motioned the bartender for a drink while Brady made his way to the madame.

"Watch my back?" He asked innocently.

"Of course." She replied, taking a sip of her wine.

He tried walking with a sense of confidence and his step, trying not to look like an inexperienced buffoon. Brady didn't usually lack confidence, but the circumstance of the situation had him stumbling all over himself. Leliana picked up on his change of pace and laughed into her drink at him.

He made it to the madame and tapped on her shoulder, "Excuse me?"

She turned to him and answered in a thick Orlesian accent, "Yes, young man? What can I do for you?"

He found his voice behind a cough, "I would like to use one of your services tonight, madame?"

"Wait a minute..." She scoped him up and down, "I know you."

"Do you now?" He crossed his arms.

"You're the Herald of Andraste. Maker, I hope she isn't looking at you now." She giggled into her hand that was covered by a white, silky glove.

"Yes, well," He crossed his arms over his chest, "May I see what you have to offer, madame?"

"Of course. Give me a moment to collect who is available." She curtsied and walked away.

When she came back, she lined up five possible prospects for him. Two were petite female elves: One with fiery red hair and the other with brown hair that allowed her green eyes to light up the area around her. Another was a human woman with a slender build, long blonde hair that cascaded down her chest and complimented her pale blue eyes and skin. A dwarf followed the other three, with a tattoo underneath her eye and short, dark hair that gave her an edgier appearance compared to the others. The last was an elven man, smaller in build with long brown hair and brown eyes.

"Well, Herald: Take your pick." The madame crossed her arms to await his choice.

He looked over to the bar for a hint from Leliana, but she was no longer sitting there. He turned back to his prospects and exhaled deeply, "You, my lady," He pointed to the elven woman with brown hair, "What is your name?"

"I am whoever you want me to be, ser." She answered politely.

"That's not what I asked..."

"I am yours, if you choose. I do not have a proper name." She answered him in the same polite tone.

"Madame, I choose this lovely lady to accompany me tonight." He held his hand out to her gently.

"As you wish, Herald. There is a free room on the top floor to your left. I need three sovereigns, then you are free to do what you want."

He pulled out his coin purse and tossed her three sovereigns, and followed the elven woman up the stairs and into the room. He rushed ahead and opened the door for her. She blushed slightly and walked into the room. He closed the door behind them and sat on the bed.

"So..." He cleared his throat, "I suppose this is the part where..."

His voice trailed away as she pulled off her dress and took long strides towards him. His palms began to sweat and his leg shook in anxiousness.

He regathered his thoughts, "Truly, what's your name?"

She laughed. She propped herself on his lap and wrapped her arms his neck. "A man of your stature doesn't care about such trivial things."

"You're mistaken, m'lady." His hands stayed on the bed, keeping him up straight. Her hands came up to his chest and pushed his torso onto the bed. She rocked slightly on his lap and pressed her lips against his jawline, then found her way to his neck.

He cleared his throat, trying to ignore the sensations that rippled through his body, "Have you heard anything odd recently?" He blurted out.

She pulled away from his neck and her ears perked up, her hair cascading down the side of her face, "No." She answered quickly, and returned to plant more soft kisses against his neck.

He resisted slightly, but the softness in her touch made him ease up unintentionally. She dragged her lips to his throat and began to unbutton his shirt. His hands secured themselves on her waist while she broke their kiss to pull off his clothing. His mind felt cloudy, like he couldn't think of anything else but her lips and the tingling that lingered on his skin. He looked into her bright green eyes with his boyish blue orbs and watched her reach behind her.

Before he could accurately react, the closet door swung open and Leliana stood there with her bow trained on the elven woman. Brady quickly looked at his spymaster, then shifted his weight so now he was on top of the elf. He pinned her hands down, and noticed a dagger in her left hand. She struggled beneath him, but he held her still.

Leliana aimed her bow down at the elf pinned on the bed and spoke with control, "What were trying to do here?"

"I'm not saying anything," The woman spat.

"Oh, come on, m'lady... I thought we had something special." Brady said sarcastically.

"It's simple: You talk, or we have no use for you... therefore, you die. So I suggest you speak up, dear." Leliana's Orlesian accent crept up heavier in the words she was saying.

"I'd believe her, my lady... I've seen this woman kill people for much less than this."

The elf sighed, and spoke up, "The madame asked of all of us that if we were chosen by you, she would've granted us a new life if we were to kill you."

Brady tilted his head to Leliana, "I suppose that makes sense."

She scoffed, "Inquisitor, please don't dismiss the fact she tried to kill you."

"I'm not," Brady defended himself, "But this life is worth escaping, Leliana, regardless of what you're doing to get out of it."

She let out a breath, "Well, we need to find out why the madame wanted you dead."

He looked down at the elven woman still pinned down beneath him, "Here. Tell her that you did it, that you killed me. She'll come up to see the body and Leliana and I will intercept her and bring her back to the Grand Cathedral for questioning."

"And what do I get out of it?"

"I promise you a new life. For all of you... As long as you do this for us."

"How could you possibly help us? All of us?" She furrowed her brows at him.

He released his grip on her wrists and allowed her to sit up, but only after taking the knife out of her hand. He spoke with charge, "The inquisition could always use cunning minds like yourself... and I'm sure your friends possess skills that can help our cause."

She thought for a moment, then spoke up softly, "Okay. Deal."

"You're gonna need this." He squeezed the blade in his hand and allowed blood to ooze onto the dagger. "Now, it's believable."

"Go. And do this quickly." Leliana urged.

The elf nodded her head and left the room.

After closing the door, Leliana turned to the Inquisitor with a disapproving look, "You're putting a lot of trust into her."

He shrugged, "If I've learned one thing, it's that sometimes people genuinely want to do good things, but fall under terrible circumstances." He turned his attention to his hand and picked up his shirt off of the floor. Quickly, he wrapped the shirt around his hand.

Leliana watched his actions; examining his body up and down, taking in the sight of the Inquisitor's chiseled physique. He noticed and smiled boyishly, allowing for his eyes sparkle against his smile, "May I help you, Spymaster?"

She looked away quickly, "I was just wondering if you enjoyed yourself, inquisitor..." She smiled as she stared down the door.

He chuckled softly, "You could've told me you were going to be in the closet."

She giggled, "And miss your reaction? Not a chance."

Their playful conversation was cut off by the door knob turning. The madame walked in and saw them standing there, freezing at the sight; Brady with his arms crossed cockily across his chest and Leliana aiming her bow at her.

"Hello, madame, can I help you?" He quipped.

"The Captain will come for you both," She sneered disgustedly, "The Venatori will rise again!" She ran out of the room and through the brothel, pushing people away in her escape. Leliana chased after her promptly, while Brady followed them both.

She went through the second floor window and climbed to the rooftop from the ladder against the building.

"Cut her off," Leliana commanded of Brady, "I'll follow her up here."

Brady nodded and went the opposite way to set up a flanking attempt. Leliana swiftly climbed the ladder and ran on top of the building. She saw sight of the Madame and jumped rooftop to rooftop catch up to her. The madame stopped dead in her tracks and looked behind her, detecting Leliana and the space between them becoming less distant. She turned and threw a dagger in Leliana's direction, but she quickly evaded the attack and pulled out her bow with speed, and rapidly began to shoot arrows on the move with precision only she could accomplish. One of them buried itself into the Madame's calf, incapacitating her.

Brady appeared in front of the Madame and stood over her. Leliana jogged over and joined him.

"You have no idea what is coming for you, Inquisitor." the madame cried, agony filling her voice.

"We need to take her in for an interrogation." Brady said, ignoring the madame's comment.

"I'm going nowhere with you two..." She taunted, and reached down to her belt and grabbed another dagger.

"No!" Brady tried to stop her, but she buried the dagger deep into her own chest, ending her life. She fell limp on the rooftop.

Brady exhaled in frustration, "What in Andraste's name is going on here?"

"I don't know," She continued to look at the lifeless body, then connected eyes with Brady, "But we need to find out... and you need to put a shirt on."

He stared down at his bare chest and completely forgotten he hadn't been wearing anything above the waist. He laughed bashfully towards her comment. He took the shirt off of his hand and threw it on. The white shirt was completely stained with the blood from his hand, causing Leliana to chuckle at the sight of him wearing. He viewed his shirt and gave her a slick smile, "Well, that basically sums up the evening."

* * *

When they arrived back at the Grand Cathedral, they knew they had much to discuss between each other and The Divine. But tiredness pulled down their eyelids and they could barely stand anymore after the night they had. The people of the cathedral were getting ready for bed, putting out candles and cleaning the floors so they ready for the following morning.

"I'm sure you have to tell the Divine what had happened this evening. After, join me in my quarters so we can discuss what our next move is." She disclosed to him.

He nodded his head and began walking to the Divine's office. He pinched the bridge of his nose to hold back his headache and knocked on the door of the room.

"Come in," A familiar voice called out.

He turned the knob and quietly came in, closing the door behind him. "Well," He spoke up, "something strange is happening around here. I know that for certain."

She looked up from her paperwork and her eyes melted at the sight of him, "Inquisitor. You can sit if you like." She scoped him out and noticed the blood stained shirt. Her eyes widened with worry, "Were you hurt? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine... and capable of standing," He said coolly, and continued. "We went to a... interesting place... where the proprietor wanted a worker of hers to kill me. When we backed her into a corner, she killed herself. The things she had to say were... odd, to say the least."

"Well," She folded her hands in front of her, "What did she say?"

"Something of a 'Captain'. And that the 'Venatori will rise again'. It's all bizarre." He shook his head at the thought.

"Could Corypheus have been resurrected?" She asked.

"No. Solas and I made sure his death was permanent this time." He looked at her abruptly and nodded his head with no words left for her to hear. He turned his body toward the door, "Well. I should g-"

She cut him off, "Wait."

He looked back at her, "We're done here."

"I'm not finished." She snapped back. "You've been acting different, to put it lightly."

"Cassandra, I-"

"Let me talk. I understand that you may be bitter about what happened between us. But do you really believe this past year has been easy for me?" She got up from her seat and wandered over to him. "You have been my first thought in the morning and my last at night. No matter how hard I try, I cannot forget you."

"Cassandra. Please don't do this." He evaded his eyes from her by staring down at his hand, "You left me, remember?"

"You let me." She said with a sense of scorn on her tongue. Her hand touched his arm.

His heart began to beat out of his chest, his mouth losing all moisture. The familiar feeling of her skin on his was almost overwhelming. Her scent filled his nose and invaded all of his senses. In that moment, every memory that he had ever had with her flashed through his head. Her kiss. Her laugh. Her warmth beneath him. It was almost an unbearable sensation, making his eyes want to go blind or his body to melt onto the floor. He regained his composure and took a deep breath, "Goodbye, Cassandra."

He walked away from her touch and exited the door, closing it shut behind him. He stood outside of her office door for a couple seconds and was tempted to walk right back in there. But he couldn't, because no matter what he said or did, there was just no hope for them. A pain in his stomach arose at the realization, but he needed to learn how to accept that there was no way, not even if the Maker himself willed it, they would ever be together again. But, no matter how many times he reminded himself of this fact, it never became easier to swallow. In the back of his mind he knew that Cassandra was destined to do great things and become something history writes of, but he also knew that her destiny did not involve him. He had accepted that a long time ago and continued to press on through his life and his duties, regardless of the pain it caused him.

"Maker," He groaned, and headed to Leliana's room.

He ascended up a winding staircase and made his way to her door. He knocked lightly and called out her name.

"Come in." She answered from inside with a rhythm to her words.

He opened the door and let himself in. She sat at the desk in her room, looking simply elegant in her night clothes and a glass of wine in her hand while she looked over her own notes. "Inquisitor." She uttered into her glass as she took a sip of her wine.

"Have you come up with anything while I was gone?" He leaned on the door frame with his arm crossed. She gestured for him to sit next to her. He complied, and joined her near the wooden desk.

She handed him the paper she was looking at, "This 'Captain' must be the leader of an unknown Venatori branch. Most likely one of the groups that want to continue fighting even after Corypheus' fall at Haven."

He scratched the scruff that was growing on his face, "The Madame at The Dragonsbone could have been an agent for the branch."

She nodded at his connection, "And the man found in the garden could have been an agent, also."

"That explains his red lyrium exposure found on him," He looked over at her, "This whole group of Venatori could be in contact with red lyrium."

"Meaning we need to be cautious," She said, taking another sip of wine. "Their mental state could be deteriorated more than we expect based on how long they have been around."

He agreed, "We need to find their place of operation and use Cullen and our forces to infiltrate. Hopefully, we find this 'captain' character and take him out."

"That's a task for the morning," She placed a hand on his shoulder. He relaxed to her touch, allowing his nerves to soothe beneath the warmth of her hand. "Now, Is there something wrong?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, "It's nothing. I'm alright."

Her eyes grew sympathetic on him, "You don't look alright."

"Is that how you feel?" He chuckled, looking down at the desk. When she didn't return a laugh, he looked over at her; his eyes growing soft at the sight of her, "I promise, Leliana. I'm fine."

A smirk pulled at the side of her mouth, "If you say so, Inquisitor."

He grinned slyly, "That's cute though."

She furrowed her eyebrows and pulled her hand away from him, "What is?'

He grin widened and allowed his dimples to show, "That you're concerned, spymaster. Adorable." He threw his head back and let out a chuckle.

She crossed her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes at him, "I think you lost too much blood today." He laughed harder at her comment.

His crystal eyes connected with hers. He caused her cheeks to blush, allowing her ocean eyes to sparkle even more underneath the heat of her face. His heart sped up slightly at her reaction to him, and he held his gaze for another second until he adverted her eyes away from her, "I- I should head to my room."

"Good idea." She looked down at her glass.

He got up and headed for the door. Before exiting, he turned to her, "Goodnight, Leliana."

She looked back up at him with a sharp smile, "Inquisitor."

He let himself out and headed to his room, his mind full of brand new thoughts; all of them having to do with what will become of tomorrow.


	4. Chapter Three: The Ball

A knock on his door shot his eyes open.

"Inquisitor!" A light voice called out.

"Lord Trevelyan!" Another voice accompanied the call for him.

He jumped out of the bed and threw the door open with haste. "Is something wrong?" He said with worry, his eyes still adjusting to the light.

Two lay sisters stood outside of his door, one of them began to giggle at him. The other eyed him up and down without subtlety in her gaze. He shot them a look of confusion, then looked down at his bare chest. The only article of clothing on him were his undergarments that fit snugly around his waist.

He smiled shyly, "I'm sorry, I didn't even think to-"

The lay sister that was drinking in the sight cut him off, "Don't apologize."

Her fellow lay sister lightly hit her arm, "Dae, please."

"Oh, hush, Belle." Dae's eyes connected with the now bashful inquisitor, "The Divine invites you and sister Nightingale down to the hall for breakfast."

Belle spoke up, "Divine Victoria expects you there promptly, inquisitor."

"Thank you. I will join her as soon as I dress." He nodded to both of them.

"... Or you could _not_ get dressed." Dae mumbled under her breath.

Brady cocked an eyebrow and let out a chuckle, "That would be a spectacle, wouldn't it?"

Belle sighed, "Maker... Please don't encourage her, Inquisitor." Belle turned away and began to walk down the hallway. Dae stayed by the door and kept her eyes on the inquisitor. She bit her bottom lip slightly. Belle groaned and came back, tugging on Dae's arm, "Would you come on?"

Brady twisted back into his room and closed the door. With a slight rush, he threw on a tunic and slipped on his pants. He walked over to the mirror in his room and peeked into it, noticing the scruff on his face was becoming unkempt in appearance. With a sigh, he grabbed his dagger off of the table and shaved off the unwanted hair on his face. After it looked well enough to him, he headed out of his room and down to the hall. The hallways were cluttered with Clerics and lay sisters, all stealing gazes at him as he walked by. He bid them all a 'good morning', and descended down the stairs.

When the large dining table was in sight, he noticed Leliana was already sitting down in front of an empty plate. Cassandra sat across from her, already dressed in her regal Divine outfit. They participated in idle conversation while others at the table clattered about nonsense.

He stepped off the last stair and walked over to the chair that sat vacant next to Leliana.

"Good morning, spymaster." He beamed, his smile growing warm at her eye contact after his words. "Your holiness."

"Inquisitor." They almost said simultaneously, causing a quick glance at each other, then back down to their empty plates.

"So," He leaned forward in his chair, "lovely meal were having."

"It should be served shortly." Cassandra said with an impatience towards him.

He sat back in his chair and tossed a look to Leliana, who was still sitting silent. He exhaled and crossed his arms, growing intolerant to the silence between the three.

"That's him!" He heard a voice say at the other side of the table. He looked over to see the commotion, only to catch the eyes of many lay sisters staring at him with giddy smiles and giggles.

Cassandra picked up on their reaction and shot them a disgusted look. They silenced underneath her glare. Leliana tried to hide her laugh, and he picked up on her held in chuckle, causing him to smile at her reaction.

Leliana turned head towards the inquisitor, "You have admirers..." an eyebrow raised when she noticed the change in his appearance, "When did you find time to shave?"

He ran his hand over his jawline, "This morning."

"Good," she nodded, "You were starting to look like Blackwall."

"I liked the stubble," Cassandra spoke up, a slight hitch in the tone of her voice. Both Leliana and Brady's eyes snapped to her as they grew quiet. Cassandra coughed, "I apologize. That was inappropriate."

With an awkwardness growing in the air, Brady almost thanked the Maker aloud when breakfast finally arrived. Brady indulged himself as politely as possible, but was dying for a good meal. He hadn't eaten a decent thing since he had left Skyhold.

"This... This is fantastic." He complimented after swallowing a large portion of the omelette that laid helpless on his plate.

A server placed another serving on his plate and commented, "The Divine _insisted_ on omelettes, Lord Trevelyan." The server smiled in Cassandra's direction as she hid face into her plate, "Said it was your favorite."

He smiled cockily, "It _is_ my favorite. How kind of you, your holiness."

"You're welcome." She muttered, trying to hide her blushing.

They grew silent again, until Brady changed the subject, "Has anybody heard from Cullen?"

"He sent word this morning," Leliana replied, "the forces are in place for us."

"You have inquisition forces outside of Val Royeaux?" Cassandra furrowed her brows at both of them, "The nobles are going to-"

"Already taken care of," Leliana reassured her, "Josie came up with a story for them."

Cassandra sat back in her seat and relaxed slightly, "In that case, good. I do not know what to expect in the coming days."

Brady lowered his voice and directed his attention to Leliana, "Perhaps we can speak of our next move?"

"Could you join us in your office, Most Holy?" Leliana asked in a polite matter.

Cassandra picked up on their hints, and led them away to the office so no one could hear them speak.

Brady allowed them to enter first, then shut the door soundly.

"You said you believed that there is corruption in the Chantry?" Leliana almost whispered.

"Yes," Cassandra sat at her desk and let out a sigh, "That is the only thing that would explain the captive escaping?"

"So, a traitor could be in the Cathedral right now?" Brady placed together, a sense of trouble in his voice.

Cassandra nodded grimly.

"How would we pick them out? There's hundreds of people working here." He asked.

"If they have a plan to kill the divine, they will show their face eventually." Leliana answered him.

He scrunched his face, "Eventually takes too long, spymaster."

"There is... something we could try." Cassandra let out a thought.

"Do you have an idea?" Leliana mused, intrigued by Cassandra's tone.

"We were to throw a ball here to commemorate Justinia's sacrifice for the greater good last year. The Clerics believed that after a year of peace, we should remind the people that we are still here because of her. I was going to cancel it due to the circumstances but..."

Leliana's eyes lit up, "Do not cancel it, Cassandra. This is just what we need."

Brady groaned, "Is this going to be Halamshiral all over again?"

"Oh, quit whining." She shot him a smirk, "You know you enjoy playing The Game, Inquisitor... even if you do not like to admit it."

He struck her with a sly smile, "Not as much as you love The Game, spymaster."

"True enough." She shrugged, and clapped her hands in clarity, "So, You throw the ball in memory of Divine Justinia. The inquisitor and I will be masked and be mixed within the crowd."

"Should we have Cullen send up troops for the event?" Brady inquired.

"No. We don't want to scare off the traitor. Perhaps a few of my agents? I know he brought some with him just in case."

"We need enough to protect the Divine, surely. She can't be left without eyes on her." He looked over at Cassandra, who almost laughed at his comment.

"Brady," She tapped on the side of her dress, allowing the sound of the hilt of a sword to echo in the room, "I may be The Divine, but that does not mean I'm helpless."

The feeling of concern lifted off of his chest with the knowledge that Cassandra still kept true to her warrior roots, despite all of the dignified red and white dresses and hats.

"Then it's settled." Leliana nodded to Cassandra, and began to head out of the door.

Brady watched her frame exit the room, and joined her after bidding the Divine goodbye.

* * *

The evening approached faster than they had anticipated. Brady had bathed and began to dress himself in the Orlesian formal wear that Leliana had gotten her hands on to loan him for the evening. He scoffed at it, picking up the gold embroidered dark blue pants with one hand and shaking his head at them. He slipped them on, and pulled the matching boots over his feet. After adjusting himself, he threw on the off-white undershirt and buttoned up the white jacket. The gold buttons shimmered underneath the lighting of the candle in his room. He picked up gold colored mask off of the desk in his room and secured it onto his face. The mask hid only the top of his face, allowing his mouth to be free from being covered. He walked out of his room after applying some cologne to his neck, and took the short walk to Leliana's room.

He knocked softly and spoke up, "Leliana?"

"Could you come in?" She asked, her voice muffled by the door, "I need your help with something."

He opened the door and picked up his eyes from the floor and looked up at her. She was sitting at her mirror fiddling with a necklace. Her fiery red hair was pinned into a glamorous up-do, with braids that resembled waterfalls settling into a bun on the back of her head. Her dress was an aqua blue, beautiful enough for the Empress of Orlais herself to wear proudly. It had accents of a liquid gold in the front and bright white trimmings at the neck and cuffs. She turned to him and revealed her made up face, all her gorgeous features heightened. Her eyes flourished and glistened like a starry night sky.

"You look... uh... um..." The sight of her made him lose his words.

Her face showed a frustration. She continued to toy with the necklace until she couldn't bear it anymore, "Could you clip this for me?"

He snapped out of it for a moment, "Of course."

He walked over to where she was sitting and held his hand out. She placed the necklace in his hand gracefully, and turned toward the mirror. He took the piece of the necklace and draped them in front of her, allowing the pendant to rest on her chest. His fingers grazed the nape of her neck as he clamped it behind her, causing a slight shiver to ripple through her body. Her tongue parted her lips for a moment as she bit slightly down on her bottom lip.

He felt her electricity on his fingertips, causing him to whisper his words. "Are you ready?"

"Not yet." She walked over to the bed and picked up a dagger from it. She propped up a leg on top of the chest and pulled her dress up her leg, exposing a holster. She slid the dagger into it and let the dress fall back to the floor. He watched her place her feathery black mask on her face with a slight intrigue.

"Did our agents make it here?"

She nodded, "They are all undercover. Just like us."

He pressed his brows together with confusion, "We're undercover?"

"In a way. As far as everybody knows, we _came _here for the ball. Cassandra made it seem that way anyway, which will help us. The traitor might actually believe that we're just here as guests."

"And if they don't believe that?"

A grin pulled at her mouth, "That's what the dagger is for."

He eyed her faintly, then secured his studious look into her ocean eyes, "These are an improvement from the red jumpsuits Josephine had made us wear to Empress Celene's ball."

She exhaled in agreement, "Maker, I know. I almost killed her when she told me I had to wear that atrocity... with _brown _boots."

He let a laugh escape at her reaction and held out his arm, "Shall we, m'lady?"

She allowed him to take her arm in his, "Of course, Inquisitor."

* * *

They descended a grande staircase that let to the ballroom. People had already began to fill the room, speaking to each other strategically and drinking all of the Cathedral's wine. Brady looked up to see Cassandra watching over everything from a balcony that basically showcased her righteousness, as it was brightly lit and allowed for her to be showered in a golden glow.

"Do you see our agents in place?" He whispered in her ear as they continued to walk together.

She answered with a slight nod and smiled to the horde of people who began to glue their eyes to them. He followed her lead, allowing a slight smile hold on his lips as they made their way through the crowd.

"They're staring at us," Her whisper caressed his ear.

"No, spymaster, they're staring at _you._" He replied softly while looking forward.

The entirety of the ballroom grew quiet as the Divine stood up and began to speak to them all, "Ladies, Gentlemen. Thank you for coming tonight. We are all here to commemorate a wonderful woman. A woman who had a better world in mind for us. A woman who gave up her life to save us all. That woman is Divine Justinia, but you must not be reminded. We all remember her grace and her way of smoothing over conflicts with just her voice and a delicate hand. Tonight, we remember her and all the good she has done for our future of the Chantry... For the future of Thedas."

The entire room raised a glass and cheered before Cassandra's short but meaningful speech. She nodded down to the crowd and sat back down. The band began to play their music as people threw back their drinks and took one another to the dance floor.

Brady looked up at Cassandra, her face projecting a peeved expression. He found humor in the fact that she brutally detested of balls, especially Orlesian ones, and now she was the one who threw them.

"Inquisitor," Leliana tugged on his jacket sleeve, knocking him away from his own thought. She directed her eyes at the Divine's guards, "Look."

He followed her gaze and noticed the guards, but didn't see anything in particular, "What?"

"They're all _templars._" She stressed.

He got what she was trying to say, and partially dismissed her claim, "That doesn't mean they are all on red lyrium."

"But it doesn't mean they aren't either." She argued.

He sighed with a slight defeat, "Most of them are guarding the dance floor," He grabbed her hand, "Come on."

She followed his haste, "Where are we going?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He stopped suddenly, and flashed her a grin, "We're going to dance."

She almost laughed at his words, but kept her mouth tightly pinned, playing The Game with an experienced face.

He led her gently down the stairs and wrapped her into an embrace after the last step. He took her gloved hand into his and placed another on her hip fluidly. Their bodies fit together perfectly, flowing across the floor as though they had choreographed the dance themselves. Leliana rested her cheek on his to casually catch a closer look at the guards lining the dance floor. They continued to waltz gracefully, the compatibility of the two bleeding onto their steps for the whole ball to appreciate. The other couples began to feel as though they were intruding onto something, and eradicated the dance floor until it was just them gliding to the music the band was playing.

He rested his lips on her ear, "Did you see anything?" He twirled her outward and wrapped her back into his arms.

She tilted her chin up, her breath on his neck, "No. But..."

He sighed slightly into her hair, "But...?"

She took him back onto her chest, "Cassandra's Knight Captain isn't among them."

He looked up to the balcony where Cassandra sat. She was watching them intently, but he didn't see the Knight Captain's presence next to her either. Their bodies becoming closer and closer as the music swelled behind them. Leliana relocated her eyes back to the guards, trying to catch a glimpse of anything out of the ordinary with them, but only saw the absence of the Knight Captain they only oddity. Her eyes attached to his again, and she noticed his crystallized eyes laid on the sight of her the entire time, his expression mirroring someone who had stumbled upon a masterpiece. She blushed involuntarily underneath his sparkling orbs.

"I believe the song is coming to an end, Inquisitor." Her sweet breath rested on his lips.

He pressed his cheek against hers, "A shame, really..." He sighed into her ear.

The music came to a close, and he dipped her in front of the entire ballroom. The entire party erupted in applause and cheers as they curtsied and bowed at their admirers. They walked off of the ballroom floor arm-in-arm, allowing the other guests to flood it again.

He went up the side staircase to the upper floor of the ballroom, guiding her up beside him. When they reached the railing, he leaned against it, watching the other dancers for a moment, "_Maker_, this is going to be a long night."

A moment later, A masked woman in a bright yellow ballgown and white mask came up to them. "Inquisitor?"

He recognized the voice, "Yes, Dae?"

"I must speak quickly... a man just went up the staircase that leads to the Divine's balcony. I'm scared for her safety." She whispered in her Orlesian accent.

Both of their eyes widened, and Brady began to speak quickly, "Take us to this staircase."

"Of course, inquisitor." She began to thread herself through the crowd.

Leliana gave him a weary look, and he nodded.

They were quickly making their way through everybody, and walked through a large white door into an empty banquet room that had only the moonlight to light it. Brady gave a signal to Leliana to arm herself. When he looked forward, a fist connected with his jaw, shaking him up. Another body threw a punch into his stomach, pushing all of the air out of his body. Leliana was reaching for her knife when Dae tried to knock Leliana out with a quick hit to the back of the head. When Leliana resisted and threw a kick in Dae's direction, a large figure tackled the spymaster to the ground, occupying her hands from moving with their tight grip and gagging her mouth to keep from speaking.

Brady had regained himself and swung at his assailant. The attacker grabbed his hand in mid-air, squeezing until the sound of crunching echoed throughout the room. He groaned in agony, but tried again to take the assailant down with his body, only to be pressed down onto the floor.

"It's hard to believe that you took down The Elder One," The attacked kicked the inquisitor on the side of the head with brute force. His voice was soaked with the sound of red lyrium, "So weak."

He lifted his head slightly and smiled at his attacker, "That would be me. Aren't ambushes slightly cliche?"

His eerie voice laughed, "So glib for a corpse, no?"

He looked behind him quickly and found Leliana struggling to get free from her two attackers. He pushed himself up and stood in front of the dark figure he could barely make out. "You must be the Captain, I presume."

"At least you're not too much of a fool." The captain commented.

"Listen... If you want me, take me. I'll come without a fight... I promise you," He glanced back Leliana, her body trying to escape from her attackers, "But give me your word that you will let her go. She is an innocent to all of this." He tried to reason with the figure with empty words.

"That's a lie, my lord." Dae spoke up, "This woman is part of the inquisition."

Brady tried to spin something quickly, "This woman is my date to the Ball. Your informant's information is out of date."

"I do not have time for your lies, Inquisitor." The Captain said with a noble voice, "I am here for you. She is a liability to me."

He gritted his teeth, "You will leave her alone."

The captain laughed at his reaction, "Please, Inquisitor. You are in no position to make demands."

He looked at the Captain's shadowy figure with anguish filling his eyes. The captain reached for the Inquisior's shoulder, and pulled him closer, then swiftly buried a blade into his abdomen. Brady winced and collapsed at the sheer pain the blade brought him. The captain pulled it out and Brady fell to his knees, his hands covering the impact point, covering his clothes and fingers with his own blood.

"Darling," He looked over at Dae. "I'm taking the Inquisitor back to our home. Please deal with her swiftly and rejoin the party."

Dae nodded, and watched the Captain disappear with the Inquisitor in a cloud of mist.

Leliana's eyes filled with horror at the sight in front of her.

Dae brandished her dagger and taunted Leliana, "I'll make it quick, Sister."

Leliana exhaled shallowly, and used all of her strength to kick away her unknown second assailant. Dae reacted quickly, grazing Leliana's arm with her blade. Leliana winced at the cut it brought, but kept her balance and disarmed Dae, taking her own weapon and using it against her. She swung her hand and cut into Dae's throat, causing her to grasp it and gargle on her own blood that began to trickle down her neck and flood her throat. She fell to her knees and went limp. Leliana's unknown attacker lunged at her, and she dodged the brawny figure with a graceful precision.

"Must you make this difficult?" The assailant croaked, their voice deep. She threw the blade and it found itself between the attacker's eyes. The attacker fell to the floor next to Dae, the floor becoming soaked with both of their blood.

Leliana panted and turned her head to the mist that steadied itself in the middle of the empty space.

"Inquisitor?" She gasped, her eyes scanning the poorly lit area.

Her troubled voice bounced off the walls of the room, but there was no reply.


	5. Chapter Four: Uh oh

Brady's eyes groggily opened, his face resting on a damp stone floor. His body was pulsating with pain, his mind cloudy. He used what little strength he had to lift himself off of the floor. Looking down at his hands, he noticed both of his hands were chained, with little slack to move too much. He squinted his eyes to get a better view at the blackened area he found himself trapped in. Torches lined the room and red lyrium polluted the area, raising like stakes from the ground. The room looked much like a throne room, his body positioned right where the power would sit. His hands reached for his stab wound. The blood had dried on his now ragged clothing, but he could still feel the pain it brought him earlier.

He groaned, and pulled on his holdings, causing the chains to rattle with mockery. "Well... shit." He mumbled.

A door at the far end of the room opened, letting two figures enter and approach Brady.

"There he is, m'lady." Brady recognized the Captain's voice. "It seems he is awake."

"Good." A woman's voice answered, "There is much to discuss."

Brady watched them intently as they walked closer to him. When the woman's face was finally visable underneath the poor lighting, his eyebrows rose in shock, his mouth became agape, "How could that be? You were _dead._"

The woman overheard him and laughed boisterously, walking up the short climb of stairs to reach where he had been held, "I was revived by a _God_, Inquisitor. A God I intend to return the favor to."

His mouth could barely bring itself to speak the name, "_Meredith?_"

Her face had red lyrium growing from one side of her face, her eyes glowing red while staring at him. She possessed a pitch black suit of armor and a sword that radiated with enchantment at her hip.

Meredith laughed at him again, "I don't go by that name anymore. That life was a _lie._ The life Corypheus has given me is my true purpose." The Captain ascended the stairs and joined her side, "You have already met my Captain, have you not? I was timid of all the mages that were under my command, but The Captain has helped me immensely with that by showing me the sheer power they possess at their fingertips to be wielded by a guided hand."

"You hated mages... and you believed one to be a God? You must be mad!" Brady scoffed.

She smacked Brady across the face, "He _is_ a God. The Elder One will rise again, and you are going to help us do it."

"What did he do to you?" Brady almost shouted, "You were a devout believer in The Maker. How could you do this?"

"The Maker is a _lie, _Inquisitor. When I died, I saw nothing but a waste of my energy believing in something that never existed."

"I'm not helping you; you're insane. Just kill me and spare me the madness." He spat.

The Captain spoke up, "Show some respect, Inquisitor. Perhaps mercy would be in order if you cooperate."

"I'd rather die." He growled.

"Captain, please fetch the instruments," Meredith ordered, "It seems were are going to need them."

* * *

Leliana searched the darkened room for any sign of clues, but came up short. She grew frustrated and her face broke, letting out a slight breath of aggravation from her mouth.

The doors to the room swung open, causing Leliana to turn to it. There stood Cassandra, leading in front of a couple agents of the inquisition.

"Sister Leliana-" The agent spoke aloud, only to be silenced by the scene in front of them.

Cassandra took in the dead bodies on the floor and Leliana's blood soaked blue dress that had been harmed during the fight. "Is that- my Knight Captain? and a lay sister?" She furrowed her brows, "What in Andraste's name is going on here, Leliana?"

Leliana sneered, "You should really do a better job at hiring people, Your Holiness." She threw the dagger on the ground and began to head out the door and back to the ballroom.

Cassandra grabbed her arm, "You cannot go out there like that."

"Watch me."

Cassandra continued to hold her arm, even as Leliana tried to shake her off. Her brows rose at a realization, "Where is the inquisitor?"

Leliana looked at Cassandra with wounded eyes, "I don't know."

Cassandra's heart beat quickened at Leliana's words. A ball in her throat arose, "What happened in there, Leliana?"

"The Captain took him. I couldn't stop him." Leliana dropped her head, her eyes connected with the floor as thoughts rushed through her head.

Cassandra let go of her arm and nodded her head, "Contact Cullen and get him and his troops to Val Royeaux as fast as possible. We are going to find The Inquisitor."

"We?"

"Yes, we. My armor should be lying around the Cathedral somewhere..."

* * *

"Is that the best you- _ahh." _Brady taunted as The Captain cracked a whip onto his bare back.

Meredith toyed with a device Brady couldn't quite make out.

"Now," Meredith smiled, "Are you willing to cooperate now?"

He grinned slyly at her and let out a chuckle, "I'll have to speak to my advisers first."

The Captain struck him again.

Brady winced at it's impact and gave a begrudging look to Meredith.

The Captain spoke up in a vibrating tone, "Speaking of your advisers... Commander, you should've seen the way he was ready to sacrifice himself for his Spymaster."

Meredith smirked and connected her red eyes to Brady's gaze, "I wonder, Inquisitor... why would you put yourself in harm's way for your Spymaster? A friendly gesture? Or a _romantic_ one?"

He gritted his teeth, "Oh, wouldn't you like to know." Another snap from the whip made contact with his back. He growled at the sensation that painfully rippled through his body.

She grabbed a small blade that sat next to her other instruments that rested on a broken pillar. She walked up to him and knelt down to where his head steadied itself. "I'm just curious, Inquisitor..." She ran the blade across his bare chest, allowing drops of blood to trickle down and line his torso. "Does the lovely Divine know you have moved on, hmm? Or are you just switching hands for a night?"

He lunged at her, only to be restricted by the chains around his hands.

She laughed with mockery at his attempt. "Sore subject. I get it."

"I will end you." He growled.

"And I doubt that." She replied. "You _will_ bring Corypheus back."

He cracked, his voice wavered, "How do you expect me to do that?"

She buried the blade into his bicep, making him yell with agony, his hand lit with distress.

"With that," She pointed at his hand, "You sent him deep into the fade with your mark. You will bring him back the same way."

He managed to chuckle darkly, "You truly are mad. I don't know _where _I sent him. For all I know, the rift made him implode into oblivion!"

"You're lying!" She growled in detest.

"I'm not!" He yelled back.

The Captain turned to Meredith, "We will get the information out of him, Commander."

"It's been hours..." She sighed.

"Our mages could... persuade him. There must be a spell to-"

"Of course." Meredith pulled the blade out of Brady's arm and placed it on the pillar, "Get them working on it immediately. I will continue to try with him."

The Captain nodded, and Brady watched him pass by and head towards the door at the far end of the room.

"Is this the part where you threaten me... again." Brady quipped, taunting his captor.

Meredith connected her fist with his face with force, causing him to spit out blood in front of him. "You are a fool."

He sniffed, "As are you."

She ignored him, "I wonder what Divine Victoria's head looks like on a pike..."

"Shut up." He snarled, keeping his eyes away from her red glare.

She ate up his reaction and continued, "Lovely Lady Pentaghast... I suppose she is torture enough to you... considering she didn't love you enough to stay."

"Shut up." He repeated, his chest filling with anger. He turned his eyes to her with his bloodied face sneering at her. The truth in her words stabbed him deeper than any blade ever could.

With every expression he shot her, she fed his fire, "So, you move on to the spymaster..."

"She's a friend, you-"

"That's not what my Captain has said, dear Inquisitor."

He pulled his eyes away from her, his face scrunching in disgust to her antics, "What are you trying to do... hurt my feelings?"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do... considering physical pain doesn't phase you."

"That's not working either." He scoffed.

"I beg to differ." She argued back, crossing her arms and continuing, "Speaking of the Spymaster, you know she _lies _for a living... what makes you think what she feels for you is real?"

"That's enough." He turned his back to her, "I don't know anything... and if I did, I would not share it with you."

"I do not believe you," She answered, "But a blood magic spell-"

His eyes widened. He began to plead, "No- Do not do that. Please."

"You leave me no choice, Inquisitor." She smirked. "If you know anything or not: we will find out soon enough."

"I don't know anything!" He screamed in protest, pulling at his chains helplessly.

She grinned menacingly at his reaction.

* * *

"I have our templars scouring the lands for any signs of mages, but so far we have nothing." Cullen fell back onto his chair, running his fingers through his hair.

Cassandra stood beside him examining the map of Orlais thoroughly. Cassandra felt like she was in her element once again, despite the situation. Her armor sitting on top of her made her feel like she was wearing an old skin. Comfortable and recognizable.

Leliana stared at both of them from the other side of the table, running through scenarios in her head. She created and recreated equations that could arise when they infiltrate wherever the Inquisitor was. She wondered if there would be warriors, blood mages, or even demons there.

Cassandra pointed at the map with her index finger, "If I remember correctly, there were red lyrium deposits in these areas."

Cullen stood up and pinned his eyes down to where she was pointing. He rested his hands at his waist and called over an agent, "You! Give word to the templars to look in these areas." Cullen gave the coordinates to the agent and he sprinted away.

Cassandra groaned, "The nobles are going to talk about this abrupt cancellation for ages. If he's dead, I will kill him."

"I can't imagine what they want with him." Leliana said softly, her thoughts elsewhere.

"Why didn't you stop them?" Cassandra said with a hint of stress in her voice.

Leliana looked up to her and furrowed her brows in anger, "You don't think I tried?"

"I think-"

Cullen intervened, "Both of you, stop. Fighting won't help us." He sighed and did his best to reassure them, "I'm sure Brady can handle himself."

"This is my fault... if I hadn't brought you both here. Maybe- I don't know." She shook her head in disgust at herself.

"If you hadn't, it could have been worse. What would become of the situation if they had killed you?" Cullen reasoned. "We will find him... and put an end to this madness."

"Please, Maker," Cassandra murmured, "Do not take him from me."

Leliana heard her words, and bowed her head. Her stomach was in knots. For this first time in a long time, the spymaster was scared of an outcome. Her mind thought of the worst. She felt her face begin to crack with her own worry, and she abruptly left the room.

When the door shut behind him, Cullen looked over at Cassandra, "What has gotten into her?"

She crossed her arms and looked down at the Commander, "Have they been...?"

Cullen's eyes widened, "Not to my knowledge, no. Why?" He leaned in unintentionally, showing intrigue in her assumption.

"I had noticed the way he looked at her..." She looked down as her voice quivered, "He used to look at me in the same way, long ago."

"Cassandra, I do believe they are simply friends... but may I ask a question of you?"

"What is it, Cullen?"

"He... He took you leaving hard. Months into your departure he focused on his work and was so- detached... drinking heavily with Varric and Bull each night." Cullen informed her.

"And? Where is your question, Commander?" He narrowed her eyes at him.

"Would it be awful if he had moved on?" He spat out.

She evaded his question, "We need to find him. Soon."

She turned and walked away from Cullen and out of the room.

Cullen exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where are you, Brady?" He mumbled, staring at the map before him.


	6. Chapter Five: The Rescue

"Leliana." Cassandra's voice echoed in the hallway.

Leliana stopped and turned, keeping her face as stoic as possible.

"I'm sorry for how I reacted and snapped at you." Cassandra said solemnly, and continued to walk towards Leliana.

Leliana stayed planted where she was and studied Cassandra's worried expression, "It's fine-"

"It's not." Cassandra sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose, "It's just- he- ugh."

Leliana's eyes became sympathetic, also feeling Cassandra's distress that sat in her throat. "I understand," She answered.

Cassandra could feel herself begin to break down to the spymaster. She wanted to dispel her feelings from her head and vent it out through her words, but she held her tongue, almost causing an implosion inside her body.

Leliana read her expression. She saw the woman before her swallowing her feelings like it was acid. She respected her silence and placed a calming hand on her shoulder, "We'll finish this, Cassandra. All of us."

Cassandra nodded and stared down at the floor, "Maker willing."

* * *

"The mages are ready, Commander." The Captain informed Meredith, who was staring down at Brady's weakened state.

"What are you waiting for? Bring them in, Captain." She snapped.

"As you wish." He bowed his head at her and left to fetch the mages.

"Blessed are they who stand before the corrupt and the wicked and do not falter," Brady murmured underneath his breath. He shut his eyes tightly and focused on his faith.

Meredith scoffed at him, "You are wasting your breath, Inquisitor."

He ignored her, "Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just."

"No one is there to listen to you. Go ahead, pray to your imaginary figure." She waved him off, "Pathetic."

"Andraste, please save me." His voice faltered.

The door swung open, and a group of mages walked up to Meredith. The Captain trailed behind and cleared his voice. "There are Inquisition agents in the area. What shall become of them?"

"Kill them." She answered darkly.

"Of course, Commander." The Captain turned away to heed her order.

"Now," She turned to the group of mages. They were all hooded in dark cloaks with red lyrium flowing around their bodies. "Are you prepared?"

"Yes, Commander." The mage at the head of the group answered. "We're just going to need his blood, of course."

Meredith clapped her hands together, "Of course! Well, take what you need! He hasn't bled out... yet anyway."

Brady kept his eyes on the ground, "Maker, take me. Take me now."

The mage pulled a dagger from his cloak and approached Brady. With haste, he sliced his wrist. Brady cried out in pain as blood oozed from his veins.

"That should be well enough." The mage smiled.

"Then, what are you waiting for?" Meredith scowled.

* * *

"Commander Cullen!" An agent sprang into the room.

Cullen stood up quickly from the chair he felt like he rested in for hours, "Yes?"

"One of our templar search parties was attacked by blood mages," The agent caught his breath, "the mages were no match for our templars, but something must come to your attention."

"Spit it out!"

"They followed what they believe that the mages originated from and they found a cave. But, the cave shows signs of containing _red lyrium, _ser. They await your order."

Cullen walked with haste towards the door, "Grab the Spymaster and the Divine. All of our forces are going to eradicate that cave."

"Yes, ser."

Cullen began to sprint down the hallway and motioned for agents and soldiers alike to follow his lead. "Let's go! No time to waste!"

The Agent hustled to the hallway where Cassandra and Leliana sat in silence. He cleared his voice, "Most holy. Sister Leliana."

Leliana's head quickly turned towards the agent and stood up, "Yes? What is it?"

"Commander Cullen said to retrieve you both... I believe he knows where the Inquisitor is."

Without a thought, Leliana began to hustle down the hallway, and Cassandra followed quickly behind her.

When they reached the courtyard, Cullen had his soldiers behind him and ready to deploy. "Send word to our search parties to meet us at the coordinates." He directed to a handful of agents.

They nodded, and set out ahead of him.

"Leliana, Cassandra!" He called out to them when he had seen they joined the courtyard, "We're going South East of Val Royeaux, they found a red lyrium cave."

"Are you sure that is their base of operations?" Cassandra questioned.

"Not entirely, but this is our best bet and we need to act fast." He retorted.

"Lead the way, Commander." Leliana joined his side as they began to lead the forces out of the courtyard.

* * *

Brady's screams of agony echoed on the walls as the mages chanted around him. He could feel his mind being pulled apart by their magic, prodding and poking through his thoughts.

"Make it stop!" He cried, his body convulsing from the sheer pain the blood magic was causing him.

"Where are your prayers now, inquisitor?" Meredith mocked with a snide smile. The Captain and her watched in sick amusement of the action.

"Soon, Corypheus will join us again, Commander." The Captain remarked.

The Inquisitor's hand lit up with distress, glowing brightly and causing an eerie color to fill the room.

"Commander," One of the mages spoke up, "He is resisting."

"Then try _harder." _Meredith demanded, her red soaked voice shaking the atmosphere of the room.

Brady opened his eyes and looked to the two standing at the side of him. He gritted his teeth with torment.

The mages tried harder to break his mind, causing physical pain to ripple through the inquisitor's body and making every part of him want to end itself. The mark lit up even brighter the more they tried to find a way in.

The Captain crossed his arms, "The mark, Commander. Perhaps..."

"Yes, I see. It's disrupting their magic." She concluded. "Perhaps more blood for the ritual..."

The Captain grinned in content, and watched Meredith pull her blade out from her belt and walk over to the inquisitor. She looked down at Brady with an evil grin. He looked up at her with bloodied face causing her a sick amount of joy and pride in her work. Slowly, She ran her blade across his back, and the blood was quickly picked up into the mage's chanting circle and used against him.

She rejoined The Captain's side and placed her blade back onto her belt, "That should do it."

"I admire-" His voice was caught off by the opening of the door. "Commander!" One of their mages called out from the door.

"Yes? What is it?" Meredith stood straight in attention, The Captain also doing so, following her example.

"Inquisition forces are storming the cave, Commander!"

"Captain, I thought you dealt with them..." Meredith sneered.

"I sent a few mages to take them out, Commander. I didn't personally see to it." He admitted.

"Hopefully your mistake doesn't lead to our demise, Captain." She spat and pointed him to the door, "Go take care of it."

"Yes, Commander." He nodded. He walked to the door and shouted to the mage at the door, "What are we looking at?"

"They've made into the cave and have taken out are first line of defense. There's so many of them, Captain."

"I wasn't expecting the entire inquisition-" The Captain's words were cut off by an arrow through the informant's head.

"Nobody expects the inquisition." Cassandra taunted, and led Cullen and Leliana through the door to stare down the Captain.

They readied their weapons, and watched the Captain draw his sword.

"Do something!" Meredith called out to him.

"Wait, I know that voice- It can't be- no." Cullen directed his eyes up the small staircase and saw Meredith, his body shook with an uneasyness. "Maker, how is that possible?"

All of their eyes looked at the grisly scene that was at the top of the stairs.

"Maker." Cassandra gasped.

Leliana stayed silent, but her mouth fell slightly agape at the scene before her.

"Both of you, get to the inquisitor." Cullen commanded, "I'll deal with this Captain."

Cullen lunged at the Captain, but the Captain skillfully dodged his attack. "Is that all?" The Captain taunted.

Cullen furrowed his brows and began to battle The Captain for his life.

Cassandra and Leliana ran to the stairs.

"Mages!" Cassandra called out to Leliana. Leliana nodded, and buried arrows into each of them while they were preoccupied with trying to get into the Inquisitor's head.

Cassandra drew her blade at Meredith, who stood confidently while this all occurred. "How is this possible? How are you _possible_?"

"Details aren't important, dear." She slowly pulled her blade out.

Leliana rushed to The Inquisitor's chains and picked them off quickly. "Maker, what have they done to you?"

"Leliana..." His voice faded, and his eyes shut as his body dropped limp onto her.

"Cassandra, he needs help."

"Leliana-" Cassandra continued to eye down Meredith, who was holding her blade in front of her, "Get him out of here."

She nodded, and tried to guide him up, "Inquisitor. Come on, please." His body still laid almost lifeless.

His eyes opened for a second and he spoke in a whisper, "Move." He began to pick up his hand and pointed it towards Cassandra and Meredith.

Leliana picked up on his actions and yelled, "Cassandra, Move!"

Cassandra didn't hesitate and jumped down the staircase.

Meredith stood there dumbfounded at the random action and laughed, "The proud Pentaghast is a coward!"

Brady opened a rift above Meredith's head, and her face grew fearful with distress, "No! I will not go down like this!" The rift began to suck her into it, and she tried resisting at the best of her capability, but succumb to the force of the rift. It closed abruptly after she became lost in the green opening.

Cullen continued to duel The Captain, but The Captain's attention was lost when Brady had opened the rift and saw his Commander being sucked into it. In his split second of hesitation, Cullen buried his blade through The Captain's abdomen, causing him to collapse to his knees and fall dead.

Cullen and Cassandra ran back up the stairs and examined the Inquisitor. His head rested on Leliana's lap as she tried to gauge his wounds.

Brady's breath began to shallow. Cassandra rushed to his side and began to put pressure on his open wounds, some of them still bleeding.

"We need to get healers in here, quickly." Cullen said with a slight panic in his voice. The view of his friend completely battered made the Commander's stomach uneasy and he filled with anxiousness, "I'm getting the healers. There is no time to waste."

"Brady, can you hear me?" Cassandra spoke with a ball in her throat, "Stay with us, please."

Brady's blue eyes peeked between the slits of his eyelids, and he could see Leliana hovering over him, her eyes ready to cast down tears like a waterfall. He lifted his hand with whatever strength he had and placed it on her hand that was resting on top of his stomach. He painfully smiled at her, "It's going be alright." He softly whispered.

Cassandra looked up from his wounds and at the two of them. She saw the way his hand was resting delicately on her, and the way her eyes were distraught and trained on him as her other hand tried to soothe him by running her fingers through his hair. Cassandra felt her heart grow weary at the scene before her eyes, and swiftly redirected her eyes back to where her hands were applying pressure.

Brady tried to speak again, but his voice faltered, and his eyes fluttered shut again.

"Cassandra, he's barely breathing." Leliana's voice hitched.

"Where is Cullen with the healers?" She growled in impatience.

"Inquisitor," Leliana murmured, "Brady. Please, stay with us."

Brady could feel himself slipping away. Despite his best efforts to keep his heart beating, his body was ready to fail him.

Cullen entered the room and his booming voice echoed throughout, "Maker, all of you get in there and save the Inquisitor. Do everything you must dammit!"

The Healers rushed to the Inquisitor and pushed Cassandra and Leliana aside, beginning to work with their magic on him.

* * *

The sun filled the window filled room with it's bright light, causing Brady's eyes to flutter open. His head and body ached unimaginably, but he was alive, somehow. He could feel bandages covering his torso and arms, slightly grumbling at the uncomfortable feeling it brought him. He tried to sit his body up and against the bed he laid on, but winced in pain at the attempt.

"Not recommended, Inquisitor." Cullen's voice spoke up. He sat in a chair against the west wall of the room reading a book. He closed it and tossed it onto the end table next to him and walked towards the bed. "You scared us half to death, friend."

Brady smiled slightly, "Sorry to scare you, Commander."

"Leliana and Cassandra have been in and out of your room for days-"

"Days?" Brady said, shocked, "How long have I been out?"

"Four days. For awhile, we didn't think you were going to wake up to be honest with you." Cullen timidly scratched the back of his neck. "Anyway, I should tell them your awake. They wanted to know at once when you woke up." Cullen headed for the door, but stopped himself, "Before I go... I need to know something."

"Anything, Cullen." Brady replied.

"Meredith, how did she-? I was there when she turned to lyrium right before me... it doesn't make sense..." Cullen shook his head with disbelief.

"She told me Corypheus had saved her... what that entails, I have no idea."

"I'll be sure to read your report when you get to it." Cullen replied, and left the room.

Brady tried to swing his legs over the side of his bed and walk over to the bookcase, but his body ached with every slight movement he made. He sighed with defeat and threw his head back onto his pillow and stared at the patterns the sun's rays made on the roof.

His attention to the ceiling was lost by the opening of the bedroom door.

"Hello." A familiar voice called out.

"Most Holy." He answered, placing his eyes on her. Once again she was in her red and white dress with the accompanying hat.

She pulled up a chair and sat at his bed side, her legs crossed in front of her as she rested her intertwined fingers on her knee. "How do you feel?" She asked with a softness in her voice.

"As well as possible, I suppose." He answered, his eyes unintentionally drifting away from her and onto the door.

Her head tilted slightly to the side, "I'm happy you are alright. I can't imagine if-" She stopped herself, causing his attention to revert back to her. She found her words, "I am just grateful to the Maker you did not die."

Brady leaned his head back against his pillow, "At least you got to put your armor on again, Seeker- I mean, Divine Victoria." He teased.

"You cannot imagine how much I miss that part of my life," She admitted with a sigh, her thoughts wandering off, "I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I stayed with The Inqusition... but I try not to dwell on a 'what if?'"

"You mean if we could've still been together?" He slightly leaned forward, but not enough to cause a strain.

"Perhaps... But I believe I have something to say..." She looked at him gently, causing a pique in his interest, "Brady, I- I will always hold you in my heart, which is why I want you to find happiness. Wherever or whoever you find that in, is up to you." She lifted herself off of the chair and leaned over to him, and rested a soft kiss on his cheek. "This is goodbye."

"Goodbye, Cassandra." He said as she walked out of the room. Before she completely exited, she looked at him warmly. He nodded and watched her walk away again. This time, he could the weight of her love being lifted off his chest, and it was as though she would always be in his heart, but not dominate him anymore.

A few moments after Cassandra's exit, a knock brushed on the door.

"Come in." He called out, and the door opened.

His eyes lit up against his beaten face at the sight, "Spymaster."

She gracefully entered the room, "Inquisitor."

He shifted slightly to give her room to sit on the bed. She complied, and took in his awful wounds once again, her face wincing at the atrocity of it all.

He noticed her reaction and chuckled, "That bad, huh?"

She traced the little scars that lined his arm, "What they did to you... I don't even want to think about it."

She watched her finger slide slowly down his arm, "Neither do I."

She looked at him, her ocean eyes slightly showing sorrow. Her hand rested on his chest, the warmth of her touch filled him with a sense of comfort. Her voice was soft, "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better." His eyes looked upon her, studying her face and the vulnerability she was possessing in the moment. He forced himself to sit up this time, to be level with her, regardless of the pain it caused. He took her in, her simple beauty filling the room with a fiery wonder, the sparks that arose in her touch lighting his skin on fire.

She looked down at his bandaged torso, almost scared at what was hidden beneath it. Her face showed a saddened expression, her hand trailing the bandage that ran across his chest.

He placed his hand underneath her chin and gently guided her face to his. His sparkling eyes flickered between her oceanic orbs and the sight of her inviting lips. He felt his body begin to crave her touch, and he almost couldn't resist minimizing the space between them and more.

A smirk pulled at her lips, and she gazed into his eyes with mischief filling them. His heart began to beat out of his chest. He brought his hand to her face, caressing it gently. She nuzzled slightly to the warm touch that radiated from him.

He chuckled slightly, and pressed his forehead to her. His grin lingered, "I... _really_ want to kiss you right now."

Her tongue poked out from between her lips and ran across her top lip. Her sweet breath settled on top of his lips, "Then do it."

He grinned, and guided her close until their lips met and ignited every nerve ending between them. Her mouth was soft on his, gently singing a rhythm on the tip of his tongue. Her intoxicating scent filled his senses, making him numb to everything but the feeling of her lips pressing longingly against his. The heat that radiated from his kiss made her almost lose herself completely to his careful touch, but he pulled away from her slowly before she could and took in a breath.

He thumbed the moisture on his lips and looked up to her, "That was... uhm..." He grinned and stared back down at her lips.

"I'm leaving for Skyhold soon." She informed him, and bit her lip, pressing against his forehead. "I'll see you when you're well enough to come back."

He sighed and gave a look like an unhappy child would, "Why can't I leave with you?"

She placed her hand on his cheek and gave him a caring look, "Because you have to stay here and recover, Inquisitor... Cullen will stay and return with you when you're able."

She got up from the bed and walked towards the door. Before she exited, she turned back and blushed with a smile, causing him to smirk at her.

"Inquisitor."

He crossed his arms and watched her close the door behind her.

"Spymaster." He mumbled, and threw his head back onto his pillow.


	7. Chapter Six: The Empress

"Inquisitor, would you wake up?" Cullen knocked on the door, the sound of his fist causing echoes to ripple in the bedroom.

Brady groaned and rustled in the bed, "Cullen please..." He said, his voice slightly muffled, "The sun hasn't even risen yet."

"We need to test your strength. Don't be so damn stubborn, Brady. We have an important matters to attend to this afternoon and I can't have-" Cullen had been startled by the abrupt opening of the bedroom door.

Brady stood groggy eyed in the doorway. Cullen narrowed his eyes at his yawning friend, picking up on his nonchalant attitude. Brady scratched his stubble and looked at the Commander, "Is this really necessary?"

Cullen crossed his arms- his expression was unchanged, "Yes."

"Well then," Brady threw his jacket over his shoulders, "Lead the way, Commander."

Cullen led them swiftly through the hallway and down a staircase. The entire Cathedral was silent and darkened by the absence of the Orlesian sun. Brady's eyes had barely adjusted when Cullen opened up a door to the courtyard and handed him a wooden sword. Brady held it tight in his palm. It had been a week since his incident with the Venatori, but he could still feel his muscles tensing up in memory of it all. His shoulders were still tense and sore, but he played it off and directed his attention to Cullen, who was rolling his shoulders with preparation.

Brady shot a entertained look at Cullen, "Should I expect you to take it easy on me?"

Cullen chuckled while he examined his wooden blade, "I can't have you accidentally bust open, Inquisitor."

"The healers here did a pretty good job. Remind me to thank them." Brady tapped on his stab wound, feeling the risen up skin from the scar underneath his light jacket.

Cullen nodded, and readied his sword. Brady followed his lead, holding his posture confidently behind his drawn weapon. Cullen approached with slight caution and began to raise his blade. Brady slapped it playfully with a sly grin that taunted Cullen underneath the moonlight. Cullen smirked, and swung back at the inquisitor's sword.

They danced around each other with slight contact on their swords. Brady spoke up, "Did Leliana make it back to Skyhold safely?"

Cullen cocked an eyebrow and hit the Inquisitor's sword away, "Of course. Why do you ask?"

Brady retracted, "Curiosity."

"Curiousity?" Cullen lunged at Brady, and he parried skillfully, "You know... Nevermind."

"Something on your mind?" Brady asked, looking inquisitively at the commander.

"Cassandra... she... brought something up while we were searching for you."

Brady's eyes grew with intrigue, his blade lowered slightly, "Well, what did she say?"

"It's ridiculous," Cullen shook his head, but continued, "She asked me if you and Leliana were... involved together, so to speak."

Brady's stomach dropped and he was glad that the moonlight had hidden his surprised expression. He managed to move his mouth despite his shock in her assumption, "Odd."

"Maybe it was just slight jealousy or misinterpretation... I don't know, I wasn't around while you two were running around Val Royeaux. Maybe she thought she saw something between you two? I have no idea where she would get that idea. I mean, you and Leliana?"

Brady's posture stiffened slightly, but Cullen did not seem to notice his uneasiness. His heart fluttered at the thought of Leliana despite himself. His thoughts jumped to the moment before she left Val Royeaux, causing him to lose all focus in the memory of her ocean eyes and angelic face grinning down at him.

Cullen slapped the Inquisitor in the chest with his sword, causing a slight grunt to escape his lips.

"Distracted?" Cullen smirked, and clutched Brady's shoulder with a slight squeeze. "Inquisitor, I do believe there is something you aren't telling me."

"Cullen... I didn't peg you as one for gossip." Brady chuckled slightly, and threw the wooden sword to the side.

"I'm not," Cullen clarified, "But if you two are..."

"We're not." Brady said quickly.

"You're an awful liar." Cullen crossed his arms with a slight impatience growing in his voice.

Brady furrowed his brows. He tensed up at Cullen's insistence, but then let out a sigh and relaxed his face, "Cullen, I-"

"I- understand the intrigue, Inquisitor. Leliana is a remarkable woman. She's mysterious, yet lovely and-"

Brady let out a laugh, "Are you sure you two don't have an affair?"

Cullen sighed, "I know how Cassandra's departure from the Inquisition troubled you... Justifiably, of course." Cullen relaxed his arms to his side and continued, "and I've noticed the spymaster's... well... _loneliness... _at times when she believes nobody has noticed."

"Is there a point to this, Cullen?"

"Perhaps," He scratched the side of his chin, "Perhaps it wouldn't be awful if you both found something within each other."

Brady stood slightly taken back by Cullen's words. He spoke up, a grin pulling on the side of his mouth, "She _is _quite remarkable."

Cullen waved his hands in front of him, "Look, I don't want details. But, if you two _do _have something more going on... Just know I trust you know what you're doing, and I support you both."

Brady dropped his head, holding a grin, "Thank you, Commander." He began walking back towards the door back into the Cathedral. Cullen followed behind him. Brady stopped short at the door and tipped his head towards Cullen, "So, what matters do we have to attend to today?"

Cullen opened the door, and they both walked in through the threshold, "The Empress has requested us for tea at the Palace."

Brady groaned, "Maker, I do not feel like dealing with the Orleasian Game today."

Cullen chuckled, "It's actually not like that... for once. Cassandra informed the Empress of what happened with the pocket of Venatori we encountered. Celene and Briala requested to see us immediately when you were well enough with the idea of friendship in mind, not politics."

"Expect some politicking, Cullen... Even if their intentions are not so."

"Of course, but a more relaxed game of politics, I assume." Cullen moved through the hallway side by side with the inquisitor, their voices low in the still sleeping Cathedral.

"Let's hope so." Brady remarked.

* * *

"Leliana... Leliana!"

"Hmm?" Leliana looked up from her daydreaming at Josephine, whose eyes were trained onto her.

"What has gotten into you? You've been out of it since you've gotten back." Josephine pointed out, picking up her tea and taking a sip.

"Nothing, Josie," She held out her hand in reassurance. Her eyes grew soft in Josephine's concerned gaze, "The experience was just... a bit taxing."

Josephine looked down at her tea cup, "What happened in Val Royeaux was... monstrous, to say the least."

"I'm still overjoyed he made it out of there alive." Leliana admitted, her body making a slight shudder at the memory of his broken body laying almost lifeless beneath her lap. She thought of him, and the way his always vibrant eyes were dead in his stare. Her mind jumped to the way they breathed life in the blue colors that shimmered in the morning light when she saw him with his strength regained in his body. The way that his lips spoke to her that morning with only the tone of reassurance and incitement in his easy smile.

"You're doing it again..." Josephine noted.

Leliana apologized and took a slight slip of her tea and rested back in her saucer. Josephine studied the slight blush in her cheek that the thought of unpleasantness surely wouldn't bring to her glowing face.

Josephine pursed her lips at her friend and leaned forward in her chair.

Leliana noticed and allowed a smile to graze her lips, "What?"

"I haven't seen you like this since we were younger." Josephine admitted.

Leliana placed the saucer and tea onto the desk and crossed her arms. "What are you trying to say, Josie?"

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Josephine's voice filled itself with offense.

Leliana let a slight laugh escape her lips, "What? No!"

"Don't think I haven't noticed your distraction, because I have. On _numerous _occasions, may I add." Her brown eyes scanned her friend, watching her smile in secret.

"I-well-hmm." Leliana's ever endurable composure began slipping underneath Josephine's accusations.

Josephine sipped her tea again, "The nobles were very vocal about the inquisitor's dance partner at The Divine's ball..." Leliana raised her tea to her lips while Josephine continued, "They say it was a beautiful red haired woman that caught his attention all night. They whisper of a new love interest for our inquisitor..."

Leliana coughed at the words, causing Josephine to grin at her not-so-subtle reaction to the gossip. "Maker's breath." Leliana continued to cough, and gently set the tea back down.

"Something happened in Val Royeaux," Josephine accused, "and I'm almost devastated that you haven't told me."

Leliana rolled her eyes at her, "Josie, please."

"The least you can do is share some details..."

Leliana turned back and gestured for the guards to leave the room. They nodded, and exited swiftly. Leliana leaned forward and spoke quietly, "This stays between us."

Josephine sat back in her chair with excitement raising in her voice, "Of course."

"It must have been the city..." Leliana shook her head, "But spending time with him was quite different there."

"Different how?" Josephine questioned, her head dipping forward.

"I can't put my finger on it, exactly..." Her voice trailed off as the thought of him, her mouth pulling into another slight grin. "I just- I don't know."

"Val Royeaux is a very romantic setting..." Josephine chuckled, "and The Inquisitor is very alluring when he wants to be."

"Tell me about it." Leliana said with familiarity. "Let's just say I can see very clearly why all of the agents swoon over him when he isn't looking."

"Leliana, you two didn't..."

Leliana waved her hands in front of her with protest, "No! Nothing like that... I promise, Josie. I don't even think the thought crossed his mind..." She pursed her lips to the side, "But..."

"Don't leave me in suspense, please." Josephine rested her head on top of her folded hands on her desk, her body leaned forward.

"He... kissed me. Before I left." Leliana smiled at the memory, her lips warming slightly to the thought of his on hers again.

Josephine's eyes widened with peaked interest, "Oh Maker. What happened? How did he even... was it, you know, _good?_"

"Josie, please." Leliana giggled slightly.

"Leliana." Josephine urged, pushing for any detail at all.

"He had just regained consciousness for the first time in days. When I found out he was okay, I was so relieved. When I went to see him, I could see everything they had done to him... It was gut-wrenching, to say the least." She shook off the image in her head, "But, he still laid there with a smile like almost nothing had happened. We talked, and then... he kissed me."

"...And?" Josephine pressed, "How was it?"

A smirk grazed Leliana's lips, "It was... unlike anything I had ever experienced before."

Josephine smiled as though she was proud of her old friend. A question popped into her head and she asked it sparingly, "Did The Divine know of all of this?"

Leliana furrowed her brows in thought, her stomach slightly jumping, "I- don't know, actually."

"Well," Josephine relaxed, "I'm sure Cassandra would have had choice words if she did know."

"That- I can agree with." Leliana raised her cup slightly and took another sip.

There was a knock at Josephine's door. "Please, come in."

"Ambassador." The inquisition agent nodded at the sight of both of them and waved a letter in front of her, "Her Imperial Majesty has sent word to you."

"Celene?" Leliana cocked an eyebrow.

Josephine motioned for the letter to be handed to her, and the agent placed it into her outstretched hand. The agent nodded again and exited the ambassador's office.

Josephine furrowed her brows at the sight of the Court's Seal on the letter. "What could this be about?" She slid her finger across the entrance and scanned her eyes across the words that danced on the letter.

* * *

"Maker, does Orlais make any breathable material?" Brady complained, tugging at his light blue hose that clung tightly to his legs.

"Tell me about it," Cullen tried to stretch out his shoulders, "This jacket needs to let out a little."

The summer Orlesian sun was scorching on top of them, causing a slight sweat to shimmer on their brow. They stood at the front gate of the palace, waiting patiently for a servant of the Imperial Court to allow them in and escort them to the Empress. While baking in the hot sun, however, the wait felt endless.

A chevalier came to the gate and looked at them through his mask. His armor shimmered underneath the light of the sky. "Inquisitor." He spoke, and opened the gate abruptly. "Her Imperial Majesty and the Marquise have been eagerly awaiting your arrival."

"Fashionably late," Brady commented, "Our apologies."

"I see that." He said regally, and clutched his sword slightly. "Come. I can take you to the parlor."

They followed the Chevalier through the gate and continued through the courtyard. Purple and yellow flowers cluttered the entirety of the garden, their flamboyant colors complimenting the stone that held them close. The palace doors opened, and the Chevalier motioned for them to follow the hallway down. "The archway leads you straight to her majesty's parlor."

"Thank you," Cullen nodded, and followed his order.

Brady and Cullen walked side by side, admiring the regal portraits that lined every inch of the hallway. They reached the hallway, and bowed at the sight of the Empress, who was holding a tea cup in her hand and it's saucer in the other. Her dress was a pure white, laced with gold. Briala was on the other side of the small table, wearing an emerald gown and a matching mask.

"Your majesty," Brady greeted, still bowing gracefully.

"Inquisitor," She smiled, her orlesian accent was thick on her words, "I'm delighted to see you on your feet so soon after your... incident with the Venatori." She gestured for them to take a seat at the table, a pair of untouched tea cups steaming in front of the white chairs.

Brady sat down between Briala and Celene, while Cullen did the same.

"I appreciate your concern, your majesty."

"And I appreciate that you've yet again protected Orlais from a threat unbeknownst to me." She nodded.

Briala set down her tea cup on the saucer and looked over to Brady, "I apologize that Celene and I couldn't attend the Divine's ball. We had heard what happened there. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that Celene did not attend, considering the threat that sat there silently."

"I don't know," Brady leaned back and his chair, "You could've helped with your skill, Briala."

"Maybe," She grinned, "But I heard Sister Leliana accompanied you, correct?"

"Yes," Brady nodded.

"Most of the nobles didn't recognize that she had even attended. But, when we heard that a 'red haired beauty' was at your side all night, we had put it together."

Celene smiled at the inquisitor, "I also heard that her dress was remarkable, surely she could show me it someday."

"I'd be happy to show you, your radiance, whenever you both decide to visit Skyhold."

"I've been meaning to visit, Inquisitor. But, my empire has had many important matters that I couldn't pull myself away from." Celene admitted.

"I'd like to know what exactly the Venatori wanted, if you would care to share," Briala crossed her legs and placed her hands intertwined on her knee. "Divine Victoria had given us some details, but I'm sure you can elaborate more on the matter."

"Of course, your grace." Cullen smiled, "The Inquisition had received the news that the Divine had been in danger from assassins."

"Leliana and I investigated the city, while our troops stayed at the outskirts of Val Royeaux." Brady waited for a reaction from either Celene or Briala at the information, but they stayed interested on his words, rather than his approach. "There were Venatori loyalists still littering the town. They had infiltrated the Grand Cathedral, also... corrupting the Divine's Knight-Captain."

"A shame such trash littered my empire's fine city." Celene commented.

Brady continued, "They had planned for an attack at the Ball... and when we caught wind of it, they took me to their stronghold. We had found out that Kirkwall's old Knight-Commander had been pulling the strings of the operation with a insane plot to resurrect Corypheus."

Cullen interjected, "Inquisition forces eradicated the stronghold and dealt with both Meredith and her Captain."

Briala leaned forward and whispered, "Could any Venatori agents have integrated into the castle?"

"It is always a possibility, your grace." Cullen admitted, "But without a leader or orders, they may have seen themselves out already."

"Briala," Celene spoke up, "I want the staff checked, again."

"Of course, your radience." Briala nodded.

"Inquisitor... I must be frank with you." Celene leaned towards the Inquisitor. "There is something I must bring to your attention."

"I'm listening, your majesty."

Celene sat up straight and looked over to Briala for support. Briala nodded and encouraged Celene to speak. Her light eyes radiated through her brilliant mask, "We have suspicion that some of the noble houses have been discrediting The Inquisition as a threat of tyranny and unneeded after the fall of Corypheus. I would contest their words, but unfortunately I cannot put myself in that position."

Briala spoke up, "Our advice to to attend our soiree with your advisers in tow and sway the nobility back into your favor."

"I'll need to speak to Josephine and Leliana, they're both at Skyhold." Brady nodded.

"Already taken care of." Briala waved him off, "We sent a raven earlier in the day."

"Inquisitor, are you sure we want to attend?" Cullen asked, his hands gripping the sides of his chair. "It'll be like playing into their hands if we go in there ready to attack."

"Commander Cullen," The Empress laughed lightly, "that's when The Grand Game comes to play."

"Another week in Orlais," Brady smiled, "What a delight."

Cullen sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers, "We were to leave the Cathedral and head back to Skyhold tomorrow. We are going to have to find a place to stay for the time being."

"Cassandra... er... Divine Victoria has been more than kind to let us rest at the Cathedral, but we are most likely outstaying our welcome." Brady sat back in his chair and let out an exhale.

"We have guest houses you are more than welcome to use, Inquisitor." Celene nodded, "Also, I'd like you to be seen by my healers... just to make sure you are well."

"That's very kind, your radiance. I would be foolish to not take you up on that."

"Then it is settled," Briala clapped her hands together. "I will have somebody lead you to the guest houses and notify you when the rest of your company arrives."

"Thank you, your grace." Cullen got up from his seat and bowed to both of them.

Brady did the same, "I'm glad you've informed us, your radiance. Let's hope this soiree doesn't end up like the Divine's Ball."

Celene laughed, "Oh, even I don't know what's in store, Inquisitor."

"Then Maker help us all." Brady grinned slyly, and exited the parlor with Cullen at his side.

* * *

Brady pulled at his hose with annoyance, the dark blue fabric bunching slightly. Two stripes of a pale gold ran down the outside of his legs. He almost thanked the maker aloud that Josephine had picked a comfortable white cotton jacket for the evening, making the night a little less unbearable. Although he was fairly good at The Game, he did not enjoy it as much as Josephine and Leliana did. For him, tonight was a night of necessity, and on any other occasion he wouldn't be caught dead in the outfit his body was wearing. He sighed, and placed the jet black mask on his face, his sky blue eyes shimmering boldly through the mask, the darkness of it complimenting them.

"Inquisitor." Cullen called out from behind the door.

"Come in."

Cullen entered, wearing black pants and a blood red jacket with gold trimming. He held his dark red mask in his hand, looking down at it with reluctance to place it on his face. "Leliana and Josephine are waiting for us in the foyer. Are you ready?"

He took one last look at himself in the mirror and turned for the door. Cullen exhaled and placed the mask securely on his face, and followed the inquisitor down to the foyer.

Josephine sat on a satin couch, and stood up at the sight of Cullen and Brady joining them. She straightened out her lavish lavender gown that was laced in white and spoke. "Inquisitor." Her mask was a darker purple encrusted with dark gems.

Leliana was staring out the long window at the Orlesian sun that was setting quickly behind the trees. She turned at the sound of his name. Her golden gown spilled slightly around her. Her mask was white, matching the white trimmings of her dress. It was lined with amber white gems, mimicking cheek bones on her face.

He inadvertently smiled at the sight of her, taken back by the natural radiating beauty that she continuously depicted. Though she had been back in Orlais for a day now, he hadn't had a chance to talk to her about anything more than strategy for the party with their company.

"Any advice, Ambassador?" Brady asked, fixing his silver cuff-links.

"The Empress said that some of the nobility believed we should have disbanded after dealing with Corypheus. Let us remind them that we are crucial both to their safety _and _their role in the game."

"Let us pray this evening goes by quickly." Cullen remarked, crossing his arms and leaning against the threshold of the wide doorway.

"Commander, you are crucial tonight, being the leader of our forces. Perhaps you could flirt with a dowager or two..." Josephine suggested, a sly smirk crossing her lips.

"Maker." Cullen groaned.

Brady chuckled slightly, "Just lead me to the champagne and let that talk for me tonight."

Josephine shot a hardened gaze at the inquisitor, "We need you coherent."

He smiled at the ambassador, "Surely you know I'm mostly joking, Josephine."

"Let us head to the palace." Leliana walked towards the door that lead to the courtyard.

Brady joined her at her side and held at his arm, "May I?"

She smiled against her mask and took his arm into hers, "Of course."

Cullen did the same, he and Josephine walking arm-in-arm and following Brady and Leliana through the door.

The moon hit the palace quickly, and it shimmered all over the masks that cluttered the courtyard. Brady led them up the marble stairs and up towards the main entrance of the palace. Whispers and eyes lingered all around him and his company.

"So it begins." Cullen whispered into Josephine's ear.

She nudged him slightly and gripped his arm tighter, "Behave."

They entered through the massive doors and were greeted with eager eyes and not-so-subtle whispers.

"The inquisition is here?" He had heard a nobleman say to a woman at his side.

"Empress Celene had invited them personally." She had answered.

The noble men and woman kept their gazes on the lavish women and their elegant gowns. They took note of the broad shouldered men who kept them tightly at their sides.

A bell had rung, and they entered the ballroom and awaited patiently for the entirety of the party to rendezvous in the ballroom for The Empress's speech.

The Empress stood proudly above everybody at the party, Briala at her side.

The ballroom had flooded with masks in a quick instant, all staring up at Celene.

Celene rested her hands against the railing and began to speak regally, "Friends, we are gathered here to celebrate the successful hunts of our nobles and chavliers in the Graves that brought home furs and leathers only fine enough for Orlais..."

Brady stood at attention, but his mind wandered in and out of Celene's speech. His eyes caught onto Leliana, who was listening intently to the Empress's words. His eyes lingered slightly on her, and he had to pull his gaze back to the Empress before anybody took notice of his negligence to pay attention.

"... They bravely slayed a majestic high dragon that had been setting the Graves aflame. So let us commemorate the bravery of our countrymen and enjoy the evening."

The crowd erupted in loud claps and praises. Celene smiled at the applause and continued, "I also want to bring attention to The Inquisition who are in attendance tonight, who were invited here tonight because of their dedication to the crown: Covertly eradicating a syndicate that sat on the border of our greatest city under orders of the crown. They have yet again protected our great empire, and we will drink to their continuous friendship with The Orlesian Empire. Now, let us enjoy ourselves on this beautiful evening."

The crowd cheered again, and once the Empress turned away, they went back to engaging in conversation and their drinks.

"That should make things easier tonight." Josephine said loud enough for only the inquisitor to hear, "Though she did just take credit for taking down the Venatori unit."

"She could say that she killed Meredith herself if it made this night easier." Cullen remarked.

Brady turned his attention to the servers who were balancing trays of champagne in their hands. "If you will excuse me," Brady said politely, and walked over to grabbed a glass. Cullen followed, and quickly finished his drink beside the inquisitor. Josephine and Leliana nodded at them, and went away to mingle with the other attendants.

"How many of these until this evening becomes bearable?" Brady joked.

Cullen laughed, and grabbed another glass. "I would love to find out, Inquisitor."

A few nobles engaged in conversation with both Cullen and Brady over drinks, Brady keeping light on his feet with quipping and well executed counters to their barbs in the sake of playing the game. Cullen mostly allowed Brady to do the talking, but was the stern voice behind him, answering any incriminating questions with an ease only the Commander of The Inquisition could execute.

An air of alcohol consumed the room, most of the Chevaliers drinking more than they ought to, but mostly keeping control of themselves. Brady laughed silently at their constant tipping of their glasses and boisterous laughter at comments that lacked humor.

Josephine and Leliana were only a few yards away from them, speaking mostly of growing trade routes that ran through Orlais and The Inquisition, he had assumed. A drunken chevalier lurked behind them, and in his own faded footsteps, bumped through Leliana and Josephine, causing a slight spill in their drinks. Brady's face hardened and he joined their side in almost an instant. Cullen stood where he was, watching the Inquisitor walk away with a bit of haste, a look of confusion grazing his face.

"Excuse me, ser." He addressed the Chevalier wearing a bright blue jacket and matching pants, his white mask slightly crooked from his brush between Leliana and Josephine.

"Ser _DesCoteaux_ to you, Inquisitor." He almost spat. Brady placed himself between DesCoteaux and the two women, who were staring at his action with a slight vindication.

"I believe you owe my company an apology, Ser. You spilled their good champagne with your fault." Brady stood tall, showing a sense of dominance over the decorated chevalier.

DesCoteaux laughed, "What? You don't like me touching your glorified whores?" He reached out his hand and slightly groped Leliana, who almost broke his hand in retaliation.

Brady raised his voice, causing a rattle around him, "That's enough."

The party grew quiet at Brady's authoritative tone, even catching the attention of Celene and Briala, who looked over at the skirmish.

"Raise your voice again at me, mongrel, and I swear I'll have your head in my trophy room."

Brady calmed himself and tried to counter intellectually, raising his voice loud enough for people to take notice, "Ser DesCoteaux, is this your way of treating an honored guest of The Imperial Court? Disrespecting the ladies of the Inquisition? From what I know about the honor of the renowned Cheveliers of Orlais, they wield respect as well as they do a sword. "

The crowd gasped. Briala smiled with intrigue. "He's good at this." She whispered to Celene, who was also grinning at the sight.

"Hush." Celene answered, keeping her eyes on the Inquisitor.

DesCoteaux grinned, "You want my respect, Free Marcher? You are a common thug, Inquisitor. I can find better likes than you in the slums of Hilamshiral. If you want my respect so desperately, maybe you should disband your joke of an order and take your leave."

The crowd reacted in whispers. Brady could feel himself losing favor in the court, and he reacted with his words, "As a Chevalier, whether or not you personally recognize my own title as Inquisitor or a son of the Trevelyan house, you are obligated to recognize my stance and stand down... for a disgrace on the infamous Chevalier honor is punishable by death."

The crowd threw their weight behind Brady's words, knowing the truth behind them. DesCoteaux scoffed, "So you're a thug that can read."

Brady grinned at the Chevaliers absence of harsher barbed words, "You consider me a thug, good ser? Well, I am openly offended. I scarcely suspected this treatment from a Chevalier. In the Free Marches, we are grazed with miraculous tales of Chevaliers and their conquests. I can hardly believe you, ser, represent the distinguished order."

In a hushed tone, Briala spoke to The Empress, "This could get ugly, your radiance."

The Empress stood up and spoke loud enough to echo through every pair of ears in the room, "Gentlemen, I believe there is a way to settle this."

"Your Radiance," DesCoteaux said proudly, "I would like to challenge this man to a duel."

The crowd erupted in excitement. A few nobles praised the notion of a classic duel to the death in the middle of the dance floor.

"Oh no." Josephine exhaled, and looked over at Leliana.

"This can't be serious." Cullen said under his breath, finishing another glass in a haste.

Leliana pulled on the Inquisitor's shoulder, his eyes stayed fixed on DesCoteaux, eyeing down his opponent. "You're not even fully healed, Inquisitor."

He shook her hand off and spoke up, "I accept, your Imperial Majesty."

"Very well, DesCoteaux. Since you are the wounded party and your honor is being questioned, you choose the weapon."

"Andraste's knickers, how is that arse the wounded party?" Cullen asked of the server. The server simply shrugged, staying silent.

DesCoteaux headed to the middle of the ball room floor, now completely cleared out of decorated bodies. Brady followed and stood with confidence, the nobles watching his every movement in awe.

"I choose an Orlesian military sword for my weapon of choice." He drew his sword out of it's hilt and stood at attention.

"Inquisitor Trevelyan, would you like to elect a Champion?" Celene asked of him.

"No, your radiance." He answered, bowing her head to her.

Brady was thrown a sword and caught it midair, brandishing the blade with exquisite skill in front of him.

"I'll be sure to take care of both women for you when you perish, Inquisitor." DesCoteaux declared.

Brady smiled at him, and watched the chevalier lunge at him with a large force. Brady blocked and parried away. Brady swung, causing the sound of clashing steel to ripple through the room. The entirety of the party was watching intently, all unsure of who the victor would turn out to be. Blow after blow was countered. Brady had slightly cut into the Chevalier's jacket. He backed away and taunted through his cocky body language. DesCoteaux grew angry and threw a continued assault to the Inquisitor, swinging his sword a million different ways. Brady held his sword to block each shot at him. The blade hit his wounded shoulder, causing a slight wince. His opponent noticed the weakness and exploited it, pressing more attacks on the wounded shoulder. Brady held his blade as the Chevalier applied pressure to his shoulder. With all of his might, he pushed upward, and threw his opponent backward. He felt a tear in his shoulder. He believed it to be his stitches. The Chevalier regained his footing, but not before Brady landed a sweeping swipe to his challenger's hand, causing the blade to fly across the room with a rattling that shook the entirety of the ballroom.

Brady walked up to The Chevalier and placed his blade underneath the man's chin, raising up so he could look Brady in the eye and revel in his defeat at the hands of who he had blatantly disrespected only moments ago.

Brady could feel a dampness in his shoulder, but ignored it for the time being. The crowd had grown silent at one of their nation's chevalier's at the Inquisitor's feet. Brady looked up at The Empress and spoke with a gracious tone, "From what I've read of the Chevaliers, these duels are to the death." He felt DesCoteaux flinch underneath his blade. He addressed the court, "But, as an act of respect on this great nation and it's miraculous order, I will show mercy and allow Ser DesCoteaux to walk away tonight." His eyes reconnected with Celene, "Your Imperial Majesty, I would request you see this action as one of respect and not of scrutiny. The Orlesian Empire is a treasure to all of Thedas, and I will never spill a drop of Orlesian blood with my blade in the name of friendship between the Inquisition and The Empire."

Celene nodded, "Very noble of you, Inquisitor. I will take your actions as an act of high esteem."

"Thank you, Your radiance." He bowed in front of her, and dropped his sword in front of the ego wounded DesCoteaux.

Celene addressed the court, "Let us return back to our normal festivities."

The band began to play again, and the court continued as though nothing had happened.

"Orlesians." Brady sniffed underneath his breath, finally paying attention to his shoulder. He peeked underneath his jacket to see his undershirt soaked in blood. He was afraid he would bleed into his white jacket. Showing a sign of weakness to the court was not an option after he had won their favor after the duel.

He approached Cullen, who held a slight smile, "Good work out there. I almost wished you picked me as your champion so I could show that arse a lesson."

"Cullen, I have to leave here... but you three need to continue to win us favor here."

"Leave?" Cullen furrowed his brows, "Why?"

Brady drew closer, "My shoulder. I think I might have reopened the wound." He peeked back underneath his jacket, more blood pooling than before, "Actually, I definitely opened the wound."

"Can you stitch yourself back up at your guest house?" Cullen asked into the Inquisitor's ear.

Brady nodded, noticing some eyes catching onto their conversation. "I'll see you all soon."

He exited the ballroom and slunk through a servant's exit in the Vestible and silently headed back to his guest house.

* * *

Brady sat in the bedroom of the guest house and looked proudly on his own patching of his open wound that sat on top of his shoulder. He had been working on the stitches for over an hour, and relaxed comfortably when the deed was finished. His hands were covered in his own crimson blood from the his own messy job at sealing the wound. His mind jumped to the events of the night, and though it was a spectacle, he was almost certain that the night turned out to be a win for The Inquisition. Only Josephine could really determine their success, but he held a high opinion on their performance and showmanship.

A summer breeze jumped into the room through the window and grazed his bare chest. He inhaled it calmly, smelling the gardens flowers in the air, and exhaling when he laid back onto the bed. His eyes almost drifted shut when he heard the opening of the front door of the guest house. He quickly reached for the blade underneath his bed and stood at attention. He heard light footsteps come down the hall outside of the door. When the door swung open, he tensed up, only to relax just as quickly.

"Leliana," He sighed with relief, "I thought you were a disgruntled noble."

Her mask had left her face, and he could see her angered expression, her fiery eyebrows pushing together, "What were you thinking?"

He cocked an eyebrow, "What?"

"You lost your composure at the Palace." She crossed her arms over your chest, "You could have single-handedly blew our opportunity to win the Court's favor."

He shook her off, "Everything worked out in the end." He turned away from her and closed the window at the far end of the room.

"That's not the point." She walked over to him and pulled on his arm to turn to her.

He winced slightly as she pulled on his wounded side. He kept his body still and his shoulder away from her sight.

"What?" She tried to peer over his towering body to examine his other side. He stood there, resisting her. Her satin gloved hand ran over his chest and turned him ever-so-slightly. She saw his mangled shoulder poorly stitched back together and slapped his chest. "See? Look what you have done to yourself! You could have been hurt, or worse. The Chevalier would have killed you without a second thought."

"But I won." He said with a grin peering on his lips.

She scoffed, "You can't do things like what you did tonight. It put the entire Inquisition in danger."

He scrunched his face and his voice raised in volume, "He touched you... If you thought I was going to-"

"I could have handled it, Inquisitor." She spat with fire in her very tone.

"I did what I thought was necessary." He shrugged and wiped his bloodied hands off on a cloth that sat on the chair that was near to him.

She continued with sparks in her words, "If your feelings for me are warping your judgement-"

He redirected his attention and threw the cloth back on to the chair, "My feelings for you?"

"You acted on a dumbfounded impulse, inquisitor."

He groaned, "I can keep my feelings in check. I always have."

She raised her arms up, "Was that keeping your feelings in check?"

His eyes grew with an intensity, "I would have done that for anyone who was disrespected in such a way."

She retracted, "So, you're denying that it wasn't fueled by the way feel about me..." Her accusation burned on his skin.

"And what if it was?" His voice dipped into a softness. He studied her reaction to his words.

Her face grew into a distortion of anger, "You can never put me in front of the importance of the Inquisition."

He clenched his jaw and balled his hands tightly into a fist at his sides. He turned away and grasped the wardrobe behind him, all of his muscles flinching at his tight grip on the frame.

"Is it wrong that I'm crazy about you?" He breathed.

She winced at his words, and a breath of fire released from her, "Yes." He shut his eyes tight, and took in a breath, setting his body ablaze. "If this is the way you're going to carry yourself, then we need to end _whatever_ is between us... quickly."

His dark laugh vibrated through both of them, "You're so easy to dismiss this."

"We have more important priorities, you should understand that." Her own harsh words that were spilling from her lips surprised even herself.

"Then go, Leliana." He growled, "If you're so damn sure about that, then leave."

Her body stiffened underneath his tone. She could feel his heat as her feet failed her and she found herself close to his clenched body rather than the door. Her gloved hand reached for his back, but with a bite to her lip, she retracted and gathered her wits. He heard her step away and head closer to the door. With a small look back at his sulking body, she opened the door, her eyes fixated on the light in the hallway. "We just- can't."

He exhaled deeply and ran his hand through his hair, gripping the short locks and rubbing them slightly, causing disheveled hairs to cascade down his forehead. "I know."

When the door clicked closed, an emptiness of space filled the room. He could feel the poorly stitched wounds in his heart bust open yet again.


	8. Chapter Seven: Back Home

_"Please," Brady pleaded, "Stop this."_

_The darkened entities vacant of faces simply laughed, and muttered to each other. Brady couldn't make out their words, causing a confusion to ripple through him and shaking his very bones. They grew larger and closer, suffocating him as though he was drowning. He felt a warm blade pierce through his torso and the feeling burned his skin, causing an agonizing scream to release from his whitened lips._

_He could feel the whip on his back, causing droplets of warm blood to fall to his feet. He gasped for air, trying to move his limbs, but he was restrained and had no power over his own body. He tried to scream aloud for help, but a noise failed to escape from his gasping lips._

_The murmuring grew louder and louder as any space between him and the ghost-like entities closed up at constrained his body._

_"Inquisitor." He heard the blood curdling voice whisper in his ear. A recognizable voice that had visited him at night often. Corypheus._

Brady shot up in his bed, gripping the sheets with white knuckles. The sweat on his brow glistened against the moonlight. He gasped for any air possible, filling his lungs and dispelling it all quickly with labored breaths. He had been acquainted with these dreams before, haunting him with troubled memories. He usually suppressed them and went on, but after his encounter with Meredith recently, they had grown in frequency and in sheer terror.

He got up from his bed and looked through his window. Unable to take the stale air filling the room, he flung a jacket over his shoulders and headed towards the courtyard.

The purple and yellow flowers were blue under the moon. He sat on the marble bench and let out a deep exhale, taking in the cool summer air. The trees rustled in the breeze that grazed his face, his body relaxed underneath it.

He sat for a few long moments when he heard footsteps graze the pavement.

Cullen walked up, his eyes long with restlessness. He fixed his robe and noticed Brady sitting alone. "Inquisitor."

Brady kept his eyes closed, taking in the air, "Commander."

Cullen sat on the adjacent marble bench. "What are you doing out here?"

"Would you believe a bad dream?" He answered with a low chuckle in his chest.

"I would." He nodded. "You're getting them again?"

Brady shook his head, his mind remembering the grisliness of it all, "They seem to get worse every night." He reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out his flask. He took a quick sip and motioned to Cullen.

Cullen took the flask and threw back a gulp with a breath. "The mages back at Skyhold made me a remedy for mine. Surely they could do something for you."

"The mark makes them so vivid," He admitted, taking the flask back from Cullen, "It's unbearable."

"Trust me, I know the feeling." Cullen replied. They sat in silence, taking turns drinking from the filled flask until it stopped burning down their throats.

Cullen looked ahead and spoke up, "Leliana seemed distressed last night coming out of your guest house. I don't mean to pry, but..."

"She told me that we were a problem, more or less." He threw his head back with another drink.

Cullen scrunched his brows, "A problem?"

"I'm too 'impulsive', as she put it... Perhaps she's right." He shrugged, his shoulders heavy.

"Do you believe that?" Cullen asked of him.

"I don't know," Brady shook his head, "Maybe we made a mistake."

Cullen let out a small chuckle, "Inquisitor, I've seen the way you two look at each other." He turned to Brady, who looked back at him with interested eyes. "There's no mistake there."

"It's over now, Cullen."

"But is it really?" He questioned.

"She made it _very _clear she wanted to end whatever we had." Brady rubbed the back of his neck.

Cullen looked up at the star cluttered Orlesian night sky and let out a thought, "If I've learned anything, it is that nothing ever really ends." He returned his eyes to the Inquisitor, "Would you like a piece of advice?"

Brady cocked an eyebrow, "Are you going to give it anyway?"

Cullen smiled and lowered his head, "I watched you let Cassandra leave without even a breath of detest."

"She wanted to." Brady clarified, his back standing up.

"That may have been the case," Cullen argued, "But, Leliana is a very special woman."

"I know." Brady sighed.

Cullen continued, "Don't let her walk away as you did with Cassandra. If that is what you both want, then so be it." He got up from the bench and stood tall, "But you and I both know that isn't the case."

"Thank you, Cullen." Brady bowed his head.

"Try to get some sleep." Cullen left a parting thought, and disappeared into the darkness beyond the courtyard.

* * *

Cullen was by the caravan with Josephine, throwing her and Leliana's over packed bags onto the caravan.

Brady threw his bag over and jumped into the caravan. He helped Josephine and Leliana up into the caravan. His eyes connected with Leliana's for a moment, both of them instinctively looking away at the sight of each other's eyes on one another. Brady sighed, and took a seat, pulling out a book. Cullen jumped in and motioned for the coachman to begin, and the caravan began to move with the fling of his wrings. They watched the palace disappear in the distance.

"I don't know about all of you," Cullen shifted in his seat, "But I'm glad were leaving."

"It couldn't have been that bad, Commander," Josephine smiled, "Oh, and a dowager asked if you could take her to dinner. I told her you would consider it."

"Andraste's knickers Josephine. Why?" Cullen sighed. "Orlesian women are vipers." Leliana turned her attention to the commander with a sneer, and the commander retracted. "_Beautiful_ vipers."

"A few noblewomen asked of you too, Inquisitor." Josephine added.

He looked up from his reading, "What did they say?"

"After your performance... a brilliant one might I add," She nodded with approval, "they had... asked if you were spoken for."

Leliana looked over at Josephine's words, but quickly retracted her action.

Brady itched the back of his neck, "hopefully none of them asked to be courted."

"Actually, quite the contrary." Josephine chuckled. "They _all_ did. I simply told them you were far too busy."

Brady looked over at Leliana, and they shared a quick glance. His heart skipped a beat, the busted open wound flooding his throat. It lasted for a split second, but an awkward air filled the space between them.

Cullen looked at Josephine and coughed. Josephine shared the same look of confusion that the commander sported.

"Did I miss something?" Josephine cocked an eyebrow, her eyes darting between Brady and Leliana.

"No." Both said in unison.

Josephine rolled her eyes, "Alright then."

Brady concentrated on his book, but his thoughts made it impossible to focus on the words that danced on the page. Leliana stared away to the passing trees that lined the dirt road. The sun disappeared behind a cluttered pattern of clouds, allowing a breeze to sweep through. Leliana shivered as the cold lingered.

"Here," He relieved himself of his jacket, "Take my jacket."

"No, thank you." She mumbled.

He let out a dark laugh, "Could you not be so stubborn?"

She shot him a look as Cullen and Josephine watched them. Cullen looked to Josephine, who simply shrugged.

"I'm not being stubborn," She raised her nose, "I don't need your jacket, Inquisitor."

He shook his head, "Suit yourself, spymaster."

The caravan grew silent. The sound of drizzle patted on the caravan cover. Soon, a downpour of rain befell on the land. It grew colder by the second, despite being the middle of the warm Orlesian summer. Leliana let out another shiver.

Brady pursed his lips at her, slightly pulling on a smile and admiring her with a subtle gentleness in his face. "Leliana..." He held out his jacket in his hand.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but softened at his sparkling eyes looking at her as though they were pleading. "Thank you."

He bowed his head and smiled boyishly. She blushed underneath is warm smile, and turned away quickly before he noticed the color in her cheeks. He relaxed back into his seat and crossed his arms against his chest. His head bobbed while his eyes grew heavy. He shut them, and succumbed to sleep.

_"Inquisitor." Voices whispered around him. Not a single light grazed the room. He tried to move, but failed to. The room was damp, his knees soaked. A metallic aroma filled the room. His breathing was short, his lungs filled with liquid. The short gasps for air echoed against the walls._

_A sharp pain ignited against his skin. His shirt grew wet and warm against the cool, moistened air._

_He coughed as a fluid filled his throat. He spit out blood from his mouth, drowning in the horrid sensation._

_"You're pathetic." He could hear Meredith's voice graze his ear. He turned his head in the voice's direction, and was met with a hard punch to his jaw._

_"Leave me be." He growled, and began coughing again._

_He heard a demonic laugh from across the room. "If you thought it would be that easy to rid of me, Inquisitor, you are mistaken." Corypheus's recognizable voice grew closer. He felt a hand press against his shoulder. The hand lit up with blue sparks and electrified his nerve endings. He screamed in pain._

_"I'll be with you forever, Inquisitor." Corypheus said. Brady could almost hear an awful grin place itself on the magister's mangled face._

Brady woke up gasping, startling the entire caravan. He dropped his head into his hands and focused on his breaths, trying to steady himself.

Cullen rested a hand on his shoulder, "Inquisitor? Another dream?"

He nodded his head against his hands and let out a deep exhale, "I'm alright."

Leliana's eyes widened and quickly narrowed at both of them, "Dreams? What dreams?"

"Nothing of concern." Brady murmured to the floor. He picked up his head and looked up, closing his eyes and shooting out a chest full of air. He directed his eyes to Cullen, "How much longer until we reach Skyhold?"

"We're making good time-"

Leliana cut him off, "What dreams, Inquisitor?" She repeated.

Cullen looked to the Inquisitor, who just shook his head against his hands. Cullen sat up in his seat and said nothing.

Josephine looked at them, her brown eyes filled with a confusion, "Commander... is there something wrong with him?"

Brady directed her eyes to her, "Don't talk as though I'm not right here, ambassador."

She hushed her voice and retracted.

They all watched as the mark on Brady's left hand glowed against his face.

"Cullen..." He breathed.

Cullen nodded, "Coachman, stop the caravan."

The caravan came to a halt, and Brady jumped out into the rain. He stood there, allowing the cool drops roll down his face and soak his skin.

Leliana got up from her seat and headed out of the caravan, only to be stopped by Cullen's firm grip on her arm.

"Let go." A stern sound arose from her chest.

"Leave him be," Cullen urged with a slight sound of softness in his tone, "He only needs a moment."

"Commander." She pressed her fiery brows together.

He bowed his head with solemness, his eyes looking over to the inquisitor. Brady's head was tilted back. His light shirt drenched in the chilled rain, outlining the indents in his stomach and his raised scar just below his rib cage. With an exhale, he turned back to the caravan and entered it, all eyes long on him.

"Coachman, continue." Brady called out.

"Of course, Inquisitor." He replied, and they began to move again.

Brady ran his fingers through his drenched hair, "We need to get to Skyhold."

"We'll be there within the hour." Cullen replied. "Just try to relax."

Brady nodded, and they all fell to silence.

* * *

Upon reaching Skyhold, Brady let out a sigh of relief. "Home sweet home."

Skyhold held it's familiar crisp air, the dusk beginning to settle behind the graceful ice capped mountains. A pink sky illuminated around the stature.

The caravan bumped across the bridge and pursed beyond the gate.

Brady jumped out when it reached a complete stop. Cullen followed. "Talk to the mages for me," Brady said quietly, "Send one of those remedies to my room."

"Of course." He replied, and hurried away.

With his pack in his hand, Brady proceeded to his quarters, ascending the staircase and away from view.

Leliana hopped out of the caravan, helping Josephine out as well. She had watched him walk away, but couldn't shake a sickening feeling that settled in her stomach.

Without a word, she followed his footsteps and ascended the staircase.

Brady stood on his balcony, watching the sunset beneath the mountains. He heard his door swing open and called out to the noise. "Hello?"

"Inquisitor." Leliana spoke up. He saw her walk up the stairs and stop in the middle of his bedroom.

"The door was locked." He pointed out.

She shrugged, "I picked it."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but couldn't stop the sly smile that grazed against his lips. "You're not very good at keeping your distance, Spymaster."

She ignored him, "What happened to you in the caravan?" Her ocean eyes flooding with worry.

Brady began to speak, but was cut off by the sound of Cullen's voice, "Inquisitor, your lock has been picked. Is everything-" Cullen's eyes connected with Leliana, whose fiery brows were pressed together. "That explains that." Cullen placed a vial on the couch and expressed a reassuring grin, "I'll leave you two to it."

Cullen left the room, and Brady walked over to the couch. He picked up the vial, full of crushed herbs and radiating a green tint. He opened the cap and slung it back, wincing at the taste on his tongue. He threw the vial back onto the couch and redirected his attention back to Leliana, who was watching his every move with confusion on her face. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"Fine." His answered, his voice heavy.

She was taken back by his tone, a void filling his words as his eyes stared down, almost unable to make eye contact. She scrunched her face, "If this is about last night-"

"Leliana, I have nothing to say." He looked up at her with his somber blue eyes.

She wasn't satisfied. She placed a cool hand on his shoulder, her own mask cracking against the sight of him. He shuddered to her familiar touch, but he could feel himself relaxing underneath her hand.

"What has gotten into you?" She crossed her arms and sported a stubborn stare.

"Nothing."

"You're lying."

He furrowed his brows, every word bringing back the memory of the terror that shook up his night. "You don't have to concern yourself with me, Leliana."

"Maker, why are you so stubborn?" She threw her arms up, her voice breaking.

"Last night you made it very clear that my feelings were a problem," He walked closer to her, "And now you want me to share them with you?"

She looked up at his body towering her, "This is different."

"I can handle myself." His voice was sharp and cut into her. She tensed up, and her mouth laid down a frown against her face. She began to walk away from him. With an unintended haste, he caught up to her and held her arm, "Wait. I didn't mean to-" His touch caused ripples through her spine and a current of electricity to run through both of them

She looked up into his eyes, full of apologies and a sulking in his shoulders. His expression grew soft on her, and he let out a sigh. Their bodies were close enough to feel his hesitation and her body's radiation of heat. The sweet scent of her breath found a place underneath his nose and made a home on his lips.

"I have something to say." He almost whispered.

Her eyes flickered from his inviting lips back to his calm icy eyes that thawed at the sight of her. "Inquisitor..."

"Please, let me speak." His tongue parted his lips and caused a gloss over them that lit up underneath the departing sun, "Leliana, you were right... I was being foolish at the Palace. But Maker, I would be even more of a fool if I let you walk away right now." His head leaned in closer, and she didn't resist. She could feel his grip on her arm relaxing.

"If you truly do not want this, I will leave you be. But I won't let last night be how it ends." His voice overflowed with sincerity.

She tipped her head to the side and let out a sigh, "We are a bad idea, Inquisitor."

He smirked, causing the dimple on his cheek to appear, "Is that all?" He inched closer.

She could feel his breath against her neck, "A _very _bad idea." She added.

His lips grazed her ear. "Does this feel wrong?" His whisper tickled against her skin. His lips gravitated to the sensitive skin on her neck. He rested a soft kiss against her flesh, causing her heart to quicken.

She let out a sigh, her body wanting to unravel before his soft touch. He made her tremble from her skin to deep down into her bones. With every fiber of strength she had left, she pushed his chest away. His shirt was still slightly damp from the rain. He stood in bewilderment a few inches away from her. She looked into his eyes with a flame brewing behind them, and groaned in defeat. She grabbed two fistfuls of his light white shirt and pulled him against her, pressing her lips longingly against his. He relaxed against her body, his hands finding the small of her back and pulling her closer to him, minimizing any space between them. She laid her hands on the back of his neck and drew him closer, deepening her kiss.

He pressed his forehead onto hers and opened his eyes, taking her in. He let out a breath and bit his bottom lip. "Are you sure?"

She stood up on her toes and answered him with another kiss. He smiled against her lips, and succumbed to her every whim. Her hands found his chest and pushed him up against his bookcase. He secured his hands on her hips, keeping up with the melody her body sang. She bit onto his bottom lip, and his chest vibrated against her with a satisfaction. Her hands grabbed onto the bottom of his shirt and pulled it off with a haste. His heart wanted to escape from his chest with every longing look her eyes suggested. She threw his shirt across the room and pressed kisses against his jaw. He ripped off her hood and unhinged her armor. With a low growl, he secured her legs against his hips and picked her up off the floor with ease. He carried her to his bed and placed her down gracefully, positioning himself on top of her.

He laid a kiss against her neck while he unzipped her jacket. She raised her body to him, allowing for the jacket to quickly slip off of her and join the rest of their clothes on the floor. His eyes took in her uncharted skin, resting soft touches on her throat, down her chest, and onto the indent on her stomach. Her fingers entangled into his hair. She pulled on his short locks gently, causing him to revisit her lips and press his bare chest onto hers.

As the sun disappeared behind the mountains, the moon arose and caused a blue tint to fill the unlit room; their bodies intertwined into each other like an eclipse, losing themselves to one another for the night.

* * *

Brady woke up to the light of the morning sun. Leliana laid bare in his arms, her tangled red hair spilling over the pillow. Her warmth was the only consolation to the cool morning mountain air. He nuzzled closer to her, closing his eyes and finding a bliss in her peaceful state.

Her body rolled over. She pressed her face against him and let out a yawn. He grinned, his fingers playing with her fiery red locks as she rested comfortably on his chest. "How did you sleep?" Her voice was groggy.

His fingers ran down her back, his eyes following his own actions, "Aside from your snoring..."

She grinned and slapped his chest, "I do not snore."

"Like a drunken dwarf." He teased, "I find it adorable, actually."

She lifted her face up to his and saw his piercing eyes looking at her with a sly grin. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. He leaned forward and pecked her forehead.

She blushed, and placed her cheek down on his chest again, her finger outlined the indents in his stomach. She traced his scar, making him shiver. She sat up and held up the white satin sheet against her bare body. It draped over her slender frame. He sat up against the headboard at her action.

"Inquisitor," her Orlesian accent was thick on her words, "We need to prepare for the day."

He groaned and leaned forward, "Spymaster... surely they won't miss us for a few hours." He held out his hand to her.

Her mischievous grin enticed him . She placed her hand into his, and he yanked her on top of him. A small giggle escaped her lips as she rested her body on top of him. With a soft kiss, she pulled the sheets over their heads, her only thought being that if she could wake up to this every morning.


	9. Epilogue

_Author's note: _Hello everybody! I want to thank all of you for following this story! I have moved the previous chapter to a new story, considering it wouldn't follow the setting and pacing of _From Val Royeaux with Love_. I will end this with a little epilogue to give it some closure... but I assure you if you like this story, The Inquisitor, Leliana, and the rest of the Inquisition still have some adventures to partake in and I'm having way too much fun writing for them and getting all of your awesome feedback and enthusiasm. Thanks again and hopefully you will continue to follow these two through hell and back (Or the void and back, rather.)

* * *

Brady examined the blade Cullen had thrown him. It was dulled, like a sparring blade would be, and had seen better days. The blade had awful nicks and scars that would be utterly exploited in a battle.

Cullen held a cocky grin, holding his weapon out in front of his body. "We could switch to wooden blades if it pleases you, Inquisitor."

Brady's lip flinched, and he brandished the blade with ease. "I'll manage, Commander."

Cullen lunged forward. Brady countered and pushed him away. He held the hilt with both hands, swinging heavy and precise on the Commander's off balance defense. Cullen regained his footing and slapped Brady's attacks away.

"Interesting." Cullen chuckled, putting distance between Brady and himself

"What is?" Brady narrowed his eyes, but couldn't help but let a smile break his facade. He noticed Cullen's distance, but let him have it for the time being.

"You and Leliana were both late to your posts this morning..." Cullen cocked an eyebrow, now circling around the inquisitor.

Brady squinted at the Commander, "And?"

Cullen shrugged, taking steps towards Brady with an uneasy nonchalance in his strides, "I'm guessing you two made up?"

Brady watched Cullen go in for a hit on his hilt, and Brady countered, knocking the blade out of his hands. Cullen frowned and threw his hands up. Brady let out a laugh, "Nice try."

"I was sure that one would work." He picked up his blade from the ground and tossed it away with the rest of the steel sparring blades. Brady did the same, and followed Cullen through the courtyard. "You know, she did seem happier this morning." Cullen remarked, looking forward and closely examining his soldiers in the sparring ring.

Brady tossed a curious look over, "Did she now?"

Cullen itched the scruff on his chin, "Are you two finally, uhm-"

"Inquisitor." A scruffy voice called out from behind them.

They both turned, noticing the inquisition agent and greeting him. "Yes?" Brady spoke up, straightening his stance.

"Sister Leliana has requested to see you in the rookery, your worship." The agent nodded.

Cullen looked to the Inquisitor with a grin, "I guess that answers my question." He let out a soft chuckled.

Brady rolled his eyes and redirected his attention back to the agent before them, "Thank you, I'll see her shortly."

The agent bowed his head and departed. Cullen turned his body to Brady and crossed his arms, "Did you break her with flowers? Candles? A _poem_?" Cullen teased.

Brady let out a chuckle and waved Cullen away, "Really, Commander... if you want to gossip, you should talk to Josephine more."

"Just lock a door if you have to," Cullen smirked, "I'd hate to hear about you two in the barracks."

"Noted." Brady nodded, and walked away.

* * *

"Leliana?"

"Over here."

Brady entered the top floor of the rookery. Birds rustled and flew around him. He scanned the room and saw her sitting by her alter. None of her agents were there, and he safely assumed she relieved them for the moment. She looked up at him with a soft grin. "You called?"

"I did." She placed the tea cup she had in her hand on the saucer and rested them both on the bench she was sitting on. She strode closer to him. He stood still, allowing her to approach him. His eyes were gentle on her. He noticed her sulky expression, but didn't speak a word about it; he knew she had something to say and wouldn't bring himself to ruin her own explanation. She filled his palms with her petite hands and he squeezed on them with a gentleness that reflected on his face.

"Well, what is it?" He smiled softly, looking down into her ocean eyes.

She looked down at their hands and allowed a thought to escape, "I just want to make sure of something." She brought her eyes up to his, noticing the nervousness she was bringing to him. She laughed despite herself, his innocent look on her almost erasing her worries.

"Leliana," He almost pouted, his brows arching over his eyes.

"Do you still want this?" Her eyes stayed on his. She watched his expression drop.

His tongue parted his lips and his brows scrunched together, "I thought I made that clear last night..." He pulled on a smirk, "...and this morning."

She smiled and dropped her head again, only to look up just as quickly. "I've lost a lot in my life, and I don't I could afford to lose you as a friend if this... _arrangement_... does not work out."

"Well," He toyed with her fingers and placed his hands on her waist, drawing her closer. "It's a good thing I'm not going anywhere, right?" He pressed his forehead against hers and grinned, "I promise to always be there for you. And for the record, I don't think I could afford losing anyone else either."

Her cheeks reddened at his words, "Very well, Inquisitor."

He pressed a kiss on her forehead and drew her in for a hug. Her hands found comfort around him as he rested his chin on the top of her head, almost thanking The Maker aloud for giving her to him.


End file.
